The path of the Unbound Stranger
by congresscrab
Summary: Rider gets warped to the world of Highschool DxD after his final battle against the Star. In this new world, he is without purpose or a way out. What will he do when he receives an offer that seems to be to good to be true? (RiderxHarem) (M because it s Highschool DxD)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, dear reader, and welcome to this crossover between Highschool DxD and Furi. Now, first things first, HUGE SPOILER WARNING!**

 **THIS FANFIC SPOILS THE ENTIRE STORY AND MOST OF THE GOOD QUOTES FROM FURI AND YOU SHOULD WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE OR PLAY IT YOURSELF FIRST.**

 **Now that that tiny detail is taken care of, the reason this story came to be is simply the severe lack of Furi stories in general. So why not combine it with the only anime that's heavy on both plot and PLOT, if you know what I´m saying (wink-wink-nudge-nudge).**

 **So, without further ado, let´s get going. Enjoy!**

Rider looked at the Free World, taking in its beauty from orbit. He had fought hard for his freedom, and now, at long last, he could return to the Mothership. He found it rather hard to break away his eyes from the planet below, but once he managed to turn around, he saw it there, blotting out the sun. He started the thrusters on his gear, and flew right toward it. He looked around as he approached the opening of the core, and saw, in millions of tiny chambers, his brothers and sisters. Well, technically they were all the same, an unstoppable army made up of clones of the strongest warrior to ever have been born in their history. He arrived at the Core soon enough. As he entered, a big holographic head came into view. While floating before it, he saw a warm smile form itself on its face.

" **Welcome back, Rider."** The ship´s AI spoke, it´s voice echoing from the iron walls. Rider felt relief as those words registered in his mind, shaking him out of his thoughts. His long mission was over. In a few minutes, he would be allowed to rest.

" **Uploading report…"**

Rider closed his eyes and braced himself for the numbing sensation that usually follows those words. He waited. And waited. But nothing happened. Then the voice spoke again.

" **Upload failed. Please confirm manually."**

Rider´s eyes shot open. The upload failed…? That was impossible. He was part of the hive mind. The link between his mind and the Hive´s was…broken? He felt no connection. What had happened? Then it dawned on him, the fact that the rabbit was right. He had changed. No longer was he a mindless drone, seeking nothing but the completion of his assignment, but instead a truly independent being. It felt burdening in a way, knowing that he now had to bear responsibility for whatever he did. And yet for that very fact, he was thankful. He wanted the rabbit to live.

Rider now had a choice to make. Either he started the invasion to continue living with the Hive, destroying the rabbit´s life in the process, or he canceled it, making him the enemy of the Hive, the being(s) that birthed and raised him.

He was conflicted. On one hand, he had the Hive to thank for his life, but it was rather selfish, uncaring about him. He was just a foot-soldier, after all. To the Hive, he was disposable, if he stayed, he had no identity. On the other hand, the Guardians had locked him up and tortured him for who knows how long to give him the very identity he now possessed. After his talk with the rabbit in the Free World, and the trust he had shown in Rider, he knew he couldn´t just betray him. Him or his daughter. But still, he didn´t know what was right. As he thought on what to do, he remembered something. What that rabbit told him just before they escaped prison.

" _We all have choices to make. We all have to decide what´s worth fighting for."_

As he remembered those words, all of his doubts were washed away. He readied his weapons.

" **Rider malfunctioning. Readying security protocols."**

He would fight the Hive. Because the trust the rabbit had shown him was something he would want to fight for, to live for, to die for. The hologram had a frown on its face as two pairs of drones floated in, but Rider wasted no time. He immediately fired his energy beam from his right cannon, it´s light encompassing all four machines, instantly destroying them. The AI quickly activated it´s shields, preventing the core from being damaged, the bright energy being dispersed seemingly with no effort. Rider grimaced; that should have been the end. He couldn´t last very long against the huge arsenal the security system had installed, and its shield around the core was nigh impenetrable by any kind of weapon they handed out to their soldiers. He was interrupted in his thoughts by a barrage of bullets, which he quickly dodged with a dash right through them. Immediately following the first, another barrage was sent his way, leaving no time for strategizing.

" **Why would you do this, Rider? We have always been here for you."** the head spoke, though Rider ignored it, instead trying to figure out a way to disable the shields. Its power source was out of his reach, behind the shields itself, so destroying it was not an option.

" **Why is their world worth more than ours?"** it continued, as Rider continued to ignore it, focusing on another set of drones that had appeared.

" **Do you think they would welcome you? No. To them, you will always remain a stranger. A danger."** As his foe droned on, Rider realized what he had to do, and he readied his beam, aiming straight for the cooling system, which was right beneath him. He pulled the trigger, hoping that the Hive had not built another shield generator in the time he´d been locked up.

" **You disappoint us, Rider."** He blinked. The cooling system was undamaged, albeit not because of another shield. His shot had actually been intercepted by multiple other beams which easily overpowered his own, forcing him to dodge it at the very last second, feeling how it singed part of his hair. He had no chance anymore. His only way to destroy the core was gone, and his gear was running out of power, judging from the difficulty he had steering it. The beams were fired again, and he evaded them once more, though it was a very close call, one managing to hit the right wing of his gear, completely removing it and his arm encased in it from existence. He cried out in pain, twisting his face into a grimace as the AI smiled serenely.

" **This is the end, Rider."** it declared, no, stated as fact. Rider´s mind started to race. How could he get out of this situation? If he did not stop this right here, right now, the Free World would be destroyed. He thought back to all his past experience. He beat all the Guardians, in less than a day completely exhausted from the torture, he should be able to handle this!...right? Hold on, the Guardians? He remembered his struggle against the Burst, and realized that all walls crumble if hit by a big enough amount of energy. With a determined expression, he curled his functioning arm and raced toward the shields in a suicidal attack, prompting the cannons to adjust their aim. They fired. In that instant, Rider dashed away. Then, right as the beams hit the shield, he fired his own beam straight onto it as well, completely draining the last bit of power in his gear. As he fell, he saw the shield collapse and the core taking severe damage.

" **Rider, we will annihilate you."** he heard, and saw his opponent still floating there, preparing to fire a huge barrage of bullets, beams, every last thing in their arsenal, seeing as the cannons on every surface of the inside of the ship was currently pointed right at him. He was honestly surprised that they hadn´t activated the other clones yet, but even so, he would never be able to survive all of that, not without any energy in his gear. So he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled his right arm out of his broken wingsuit, having already regenerated, grabbed his pistol from his belt, and aimed carefully. Just as the first bullet was about to be fired, he pulled the trigger. And hit the exposed core with enough power to cancel any attack that might´ve been planned. He let out a breath he did not know he was holding, and watched as the ship started to explode. He felt tired, incredibly tired indeed after today, and just wanted to finally rest. He closed his eyes.

" **You might have saved them this time."**

Only to open them again in shock. His opponent was still alive, and even though the AI could no longer fight without its power-source, he was still on guard.

" **But who will protect them next time?"**

He blinked. That was true. He would have to take over that role as the protector next time, too. He raised his head, looking at his former superior with defiance.

" **Because if you think that we will allow you to interfere again next time…"**

Rider´s rebellious look turned into one of confusion. What was it talking about?

"… **then you truly are a failure."**

At that moment, he realized the cannons were still pointing at him. He would not be able to dodge that. In that moment, Rider accepted death. He waited.

" **Rider, we will not kill you."**

He was, once again, confused. He looked at the big face, which was starting to sound more and more static with every word, its flickering matching the sound.

" **We cannot kill you. We will remove you from the equation differently. Farewell, Rider. This is the last time we speak."**

Gone was the disappointed frown on its face, now replaced with an expression that truly scared him. One that was smiling weirdly, there was an emotion that he couldn´t decipher in it, yet, it was still so very neutral. Rider heard the cannons fire, and saw a blue substance quickly approach. He was not able to dodge it, and braced himself for the impact. As it hit him, he felt like he was ripped apart from the inside out, bit by bit. It hurt. It hurt so much, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Losing his arm felt like being bitten by a kitten compared to this. He couldn´t even tell how long it took for him to be whisked away, the pain completely numbing his senses.

A man with a rabbit mask looked up to the sky, seeing a huge detonation, and smiled. His trust had not been misguided, it seemed. He gently took his daughters hand, and went home. He would have to tell the others about their saviour.

As Rider opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of green all around him. After taking off his wingsuit, with some difficulty, he stood up. Looking around, he noticed that the floor under his feet seemed to crack and wither. He frowned. Was he back on the Free World? That can´t be right. He travelled across the whole planet to investigate its suitability for invasion (time very well spent now that he had rebelled), and he would have noted a forest with trees as odd as these. Then he noticed a large stone structure, with large wooden doors that were cracked open. Yep, this was most definitely not the Free World. He picked up his gear and ran inside, not wanting to corrupt the world he had just arrived on. From what he could tell, it was nighttime, anyways. As good a time as any to sleep.

Rider decided to sit down on one of the large benches that littered the interior. Everything that had happened today had worn him out to no end, like wringing the last drops of water from a dry towel. He needed to rest for a while, perhaps/absolutely longer. The second his body touched it, the bench turned black, however, Rider was too tired to notice, and fell asleep the second he closed his eyes.

 **Aaaaaand cut! That´s the first chapter all wrapped up. In the next one, I´ll have our friend Rider meet the cast of Highschool DxD, so stay tuned!**

 **Since this is the first time I write a story, I would appreciate if you left a review. If you think it´s garbage, please tell me what I could improve.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading up to this point, and I hope you´ll return for more as the story continues! Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here us chapter 2! I admit, I kinda rushed this one, mainly to get the prologue out of the way as fast as possible(will still take at least 3 chapters though.).**

 **Anyways, allow me to quickly respond to the people who took the time to read this piece of crap and review it!**

 **Doccy Larsson Seraphim: Thank you for reading, and yes, Issei is included in this mess of a story. He will be playing a slightly less important role than Rider, though.**

Asia Argento was wondering where her day had gone so terribly wrong. At first, it seemed like it would be a regular Wednesday, just like any other. She had woken up at the usual time, had gone to school with her crush Issei, and attended her classes like the obedient student she was. Of course, she participated as much as she could, and whilst she didn´t always answer the questions correctly, her efforts were recognized and applauded. When classes had ended, she went to the Occult Research Club, as was part of her routine by now, before receiving a call from a client right before sunset, and teleported there immediately through a magic circle, after telling her friends that she´d be back in possibly less than an hour.

What she did, and could not expect was the fact that her client was a crazed killer, summoning devils to murder them in cold blood, after having his way with them if their looks suited his taste. She had the incredibly bad luck of fitting the bill. Now, she was fleeing, dashing through the streets, nearly tripping every time she rounded a corner, making her ever so slightly regret that she didn´t just keep on her shoes meant for sport after said lesson; it would be much easier to run in than the ones she wore right now. Hearing the madman´s footsteps right behind her only amplified that regret, as any advantage in her flight would be an immense relief. But alas, all she can do now is run.

"You have nowhere to run! So _STOP RUNNING_!"

She didn´t. Her chastity was sacred to her, and she would only lose it to one person.

"Issei-san…save me…", she thought to herself, hoping that through some miracle, he would appear right around the next corner. Though she had no such luck as she rounded it. She did not even know where she was by now. Never had she visited this part of town.

" _Heh. Good_. The hunt is only enjoyable if the prey believes it can still escape its fate. So run, little sheep, run. Or the big bad wolf will eat you." He started cackling, a gesture that made cold shivers run down her spine. She just needed to keep running. Eventually, her master would notice that something was amiss, and send help. Realizing that her pursuer would always be able to keep up in these streets and alleys due to his fitness, she decided to seek cover and hide instead. She looked around, and saw a forest right behind a fence, which - "Thank you, God", she thought - had a hole in it, although there was a sharp spike of pain in her head as that sentence crossed her mind. She still managed to keep her balance, though, ran for the hole, and crawled through it. Just then, as she pulled her foot through, she heard the maniac crash into the fence. He stuck his hand through the hole, in hopes of grabbing her, though fortunately, he could not reach her, only messing up a nearby anthill.

"Oh, so the little girl thinks she is safe, now does she? Well, I´ll just climb over this stupid fence, and then I´ll slit your throat! Though I shouldn´t really, I want to hear you _scream_." He said, as his face was pressed against the fence, a psychotic grin spread across his face. "And in that forest, not a single soul will hear you. Now go on, sheep, I´ll even give you a head start." She shuddered in fear, scrambled to get up and finally, after what felt like minutes of regaining her balance, ran. She needed to hide. That was the only thing she could think of.

She had barely reached the outskirts of the forest, when she heard something heavy hit the ground with a resounding thud. She didn´t turn around to look. She was scared of the face she would, no doubt, see right behind her. She continued running for God knows how long. The sun had long since set. Then, she saw a glimmer of hope. A huge church was standing in a tiny clearing. She recognized this place. It´s where she was reincarnated as a devil. She could barricade herself inside until help arrived. With renewed vigour, she charged toward the large wooden gates. She was nearly there. She reached toward the door, about to push it open. Then her foot hit what felt like a large root. She looked in horror as her only hope escaped her vision as she plummeted to the ground. Her fall felt like it took forever. She would be violated, and never see her crush or friends again.

"Farewell, Akeno-san, Koneko-san, Kiba-san, Rias-san…and Issei-san." She muttered to herself, closing her eyes.

The moment those words left her mouth, she ungracefully landed flat on her face. She felt blood flow out of her nose, but she could not care less about that. She felt herself be picked up by her hair, and turned over, facing her crazed pursuer. Refusing to open her eyes, scared of his face, the only clue as to how close she was to him was his steamy breath on her face. He had bad breath, probably hadn´t brushed his teeth or adhered to any sanitary standard in ages, if this stench was anything to go by. "It´s over, _sheep_." he spat, literally, and she yelped as the icky fluid ran down her cheek. "And so close to safety, too. What a pity…for you, that is. I think I´ll be having some of that meat now."

She kept her eyes closed as she felt her uniform being ripped apart, exposing her skin to the cold air of the night. Being only dressed in her undergarments, she tried to hide as much of her body as she could. As he looked her up and down, an arrogant grin formed on his face before he started chuckling in a way that unsettled the devil greatly.

"Completely white, huh? I always liked the one that think they´re _pure_. It allows me to show them just how disgusting and corrupt they really are. I will stain this white with your blood, and you will be enjoying it all the way, little sheep."

Tears formed in her eyes. She hated this, she hated this person for being so horrible! She wanted to go home, be comforted by Issei. That would not happen though. She didn´t care if this madman laughed at her, she would call out for help.

"HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP!"

"You really are stupid, aren´t you? I just said a while ago that in this place, no one will hear you! Now, continue screaming! Show me that fighting spirit, little sheep!" He cackled madly. She continued screaming, and she would continue to do so, until her voice gave out, be it by pain, or by death. Then, she heard something, something that caused her to look at the doors of the church. They were open. She looked at the person who opened them, and saw a man standing there. He was wearing some sort of pullover, which was glowing blue in a strange pattern, and rather baggy brown trousers that reached just above his ankles. He was wearing no shoes, but had a red cape fluttering in the wind. The collar of said cape covered most of his face. His most striking feature, though, was his long white hair, which he had tied in a ponytail, but was seemingly in complete disarray, yet it seemed to float serenely in the breeze.

"Please, help me!" she cried. He looked at her, and she could get a good look at his face now. He looked like he was about 50 years old. He had quite a few wrinkles, but no facial hair. But what shocked her, was his eyes. They had a beautiful blue colour, but they were empty, soulless. She begged him for help, tears flowing freely as the madman laying on top of her paid no heed to her calls, too focused with undressing her further to notice the newcomer.

Rider had been sleeping a while, when he was woken up by the sound of scuffling, followed by cries begging for help right outside the door. He stood up, readying himself in the case of a battle, and opened the door. The second he did, he heard someone calling out for help right beneath him. He looked down, and saw a man lying on top of a young blonde girl, whose cheeks were stained with liquid that came from her eyes. Tears. She was crying. The girl seemed to not have any clothes on, and the man seemed to be playing with her body. He was cutting her undergarments with a knife whilst laughing like a crazed madman. Rider wasted no time, drew his gun and fired multiple rounds into the bastard, sending him reeling back in shock. He had fired at the man´s right arm to prevent any usage of his knife, in case he wanted to take the girl hostage.

"Wh-who are you?! Where the _HELL_ did you come from?!"

The man exclaimed, not bothering to hide his fury. He looked at his arm. It would heal, but it would take weeks, maybe months until he could use it properly. The girl quickly scrambled, hiding in the doorway behind the stranger. Rider, however, did not let down his guard. This man was dangerous, and he would take him out if he were to attack again.

"You know what? It does not matter." The man said while chuckling darkly. Rider tensed up further, aiming for the legs. **"This is not even my final form!"** the psychopath spat in his face. Then, he transformed. As everything turned dark for a moment, Rider was forced to blink. Where there was a man standing before, now an abomination was in his place. It had the torso of a human, however, his lower half had completely changed.

His feet had taken the shape of hooves, his legs being covered in dark green fur, like the rest of his body. A long tail sprouted out of his back, ending with a rainbow-coloured stinger. The man/monstrosity smirked with a face that combined a ram´s horns, and the nose of a pig, as two black, leathery wings sprouted out of his back.

Asia felt faint. Her saviour may be armed, but he has to fight a stray devil, and an incredibly powerful one, at that, judging from the aura it gave off. "Run!" she cried. He would not stand a chance against that _thing_. She wanted to tell him to get help, while she stalled it long enough for the rest of the peerage to arrive, but was silenced as her saviour looked at her with a look that shut her up. It was one of complete calm, and it was apparent that he held no fear toward this foe. In that very instant, the monster charged, while cackling at his opponent's lack of attention. She screamed, and yelled for him to take cover, trying to push him out the way.

And the monster lost its other arm. Asia blinked, not being able to process that fact as she was still in the position to push him out the way.

Her savior had his sword drawn, lightning crackling up and down its blade of light. His clothes were illuminating the area with an orange light. The monster, shocked from the blow, simply stood there, staring at its severed limb, any kind of coherent words it may have tried to form coming out as jumbled stutters, grunts, and yelps. He struck again seconds after. He slashed at the legs, bringing the monster to its knees, and delivered an uppercut that cleaved the monster in half. It died, never knowing what hit it.

Asia was flabbergasted. This man had taken down a stray devil that might have given Kiba-san trouble with such ease. She had not even seen him move in the slightest! Then, it occurred to her. He must be an exorcist that was sent on a secret mission by the church. And a highly skilled one, at that! She sighed in relief as she sank to the floor. Finally, this was over. She would see Issei-san again soon, and she could forget all about this. Until she realized just what him being an exorcist meant for her. She was a devil. She would be his next target. The girl looked up, her fears being confirmed by her own eyes. Her saviour loomed threateningly above her, his sword still drawn. She screamed in fear.

 **And that´s all, folks! Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review if you have any** **criticisms. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and I hope that you continue reading! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back! Let´s get right into it!...after answering my loyal reviewer, that is.**

 **Doccy Larsson Seraphim: Thank you for reviewing again, and as for your question, I wrote in the closing sequence of chapter 1 that he corrupts the world, but I´ll just say that I will not forget about that detail. The reason why it was not mentioned in chapter 2 was due to the fact that he never moved from the doorway, which meant he never touched the ground. Also, in both that and this chapter, the focus of the characters will lie on the battling, and thus they will not notice any such details. And as for giving him a voice, I agree that giving him a voice would ruin part of his character, but I think I might give him one at some point, though he would still not speak very often. I might not even give him one at all. Time will tell.**

 **Also, from now on, "dashing" refers to Rider´s in-game dodge, just to clear up any confusion as to why he might be dashing through people.**

 **Now, let´s get started. ACTION!** **I´ve always wanted to say that.**

Rider was confused, to say the least. He had rescued this girl from that madman, and the second he turns around to check on her, she continues screaming. Did he do something wrong, he wondered. He then realized that not sheathing his sword might have intimidated her, so he immediately rectified the issue and kneeled down so he was face to face with her. He then attempted to check her for injuries, but seeing as she still feared him and tried backing away, he couldn´t. Against his better judgment, he put aside his sword to show he meant no harm. She timidly looked up at his face upon hearing the weapon fall to the ground. She gasped as she finally seemed to realize that he truly did not want to harm her in any way, and jumped into his arms, sobbing. Rider tensed up.

"Thank you…" she whispered, Rider only barely being able to hear it. He felt weird. He did not know this girl at all, and here he was, consoling her, not actively, granted. But to Asia, it did not matter. He sighed, still exhausted from his previous adventure, the urge to rest ever so strong. But he could and would stay like this for a while, at least, for the girl. He let himself relax. A few moments later, though, he heard a weird sound. It was an echoing voice, though he could not make out what it said. He closed his eyes, focusing on his hearing. He listened…and heard only the owls hooting in the distance. No, there it was again! This time, however, he could understand it.

"BOOST!"

It was close, much closer than before. It would burst through the bushes any second now. He quickly got up, making the girl fall to the ground, hearing her let out a tiny yelp. He drew his blade and exited the doorway. He then pointed at her, then the inside of the church. The girl understood, ran inside and shut the door. Rider prepared himself as he heard the voice shout "BOOST!" one more time. Not a second later, a young teen with brown, spiky hair burst through the trees, his anger evident on his face.

"LET ASIA GO, YOU BASTARD!" he screamed, pulling back his left arm, which was clad in some sort of scale armor. It was completely red, except for a green crystal right above the hand, and covered his entire lower arm. Rider felt power radiate from that arm, power that made it slightly hard to breathe, it was that oppressing of an aura. If he let that punch hit him, he would take severe damage, possibly stopping his regeneration for a while. While he did not want to move too much to prevent the world beneath his soles from withering, he knew that for this fight, it was absolutely necessary.

He quickly dashed away from the door to ensure that the girl would not be harmed by this conflict. The teen skidded to a halt, then turned around to face him and resumed his pursuit. Judging from his stance, Rider assumed that the boy didn´t have that much experience in battle yet. Rider felt somewhat relieved. This opponent was not skilled, so he posed no real threat, even with all that power at his fingertips. That´s when he felt a shiver run up his spine, his instincts telling him to get away from his current spot. As he jumped away, a huge bolt of lightning struck the place he was standing in. Had he stayed a second longer, that would have knocked him out for at least a day or two. As he landed, he tried to locate the source of the attack.

"My oh my, I guess you like to play hard to get. I like that."

Rider looked up to the owner of the voice, which turned out to be a beautiful, busty woman with black hair who was licking her lips. She wore a white kimono with a red dress, accentuating her curves. What caught his attention, however, were her black wings, which looked exactly like the ones he had seen a few minutes prior when the man had transformed. He frowned. Were these people his allies? Could they all turn into abominations like that other man? If that was the case, he had to take them out quickly. He could tell that they were both much more powerful than the madman he killed, and they could pose a real threat if they gained the same boost in power as him.

He was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching. The brunette was charging at him, preparing another attack. Rider quickly drew his gun and shot the boy´s leg, causing him to trip. He got no reprieve as another set of steps, much faster than the boy´s, approached him from behind. He quickly turned around, only to come face to face with a boy just as young as the last, with blonde hair, who wielded a broadsword. He was approaching with incredible speed, and before Rider could even blink, he was upon him, sword raised. Rider immediately clashed against it with his own blade. The swords started spraying sparks as they struggled to overpower each other, doing everything in they could to gain an advantage.

"I´m sorry, Mister Exorcist, but my sword can suck up your sword´s holy power. So please, give up before I have to kill you." the teen said politely, though Rider could tell he was getting overconfident. He did not know what in the blazes an exorcist was, but he knew one thing for sure: he was not one of them. So he just needed to wait for the kid´s plan to fail, and in that moment of weakness, he would strike. Simple, really, though it is to be expected from people that aren´t constantly on guard.

"Not giving up? Well, don´t tell me that I did not warn you!"

His opponent´s blade emitted a dark aura, which sent multiple tendrils swirling around Rider´s blade, blocking the light. Even if he could not see as well as before, Rider knew that the boy had a smirk on his face. Rider simply started to power up, his armour beginning to emit an orange glow. Orange bolts burst from his sword, breaking the hold the boy had on him and illuminating the area. He saw his opponent´s expression shift. From confidence to confusion, then to fear. He felt a huge amount of satisfaction as he pushed the boy over onto his back and raised his sword to deliver the final blow.

Before he managed to stab his foe, a gigantic force hit him in the back. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. His eyes turned to look, and he saw a tiny girl, hair whiter than snow, a black pin in the shape of a cat in her bangs. She was wearing rather fancy clothing, and had a childlike body, with a rather small bust and overall small stature. Her fist was buried deep in his back, and Rider felt the monstrous strength that was hidden within that body, betraying her doll-like appearance which was complemented by her completely neutral expression.

He felt himself fly through the air, nearly blacking out a few times, until he hit a tree and fell to the ground, though said plant was completely destroyed as it caught him. He tried to steady himself with his sword, which he thankfully still had in his grip. However, the pain was too much, and he could barely even stay on his knees. Looking at the earth, which started turning black, he felt regret, at his inability to win this fight, and for corrupting this once beautiful, fertile soil for nothing. Sighing, he turned his head upward, and his eyes caught sight of another beautiful woman stood there, her hair as red as blood, and a bust as big as the one who attacked him with lightning, looking at him with disgust in her eyes.

"So you´re the man who kidnapped my servant. Tell me where she is, and your death will be swift." She said, venom lacing her words. His eyes widened. Was the girl kept as a slave? Was this woman so cruel as to enslave someone so young? He would not allow it. Ignoring his pain, he grit his teeth as he shakily stood up, his regeneration kicking in to heal his broken backbone slightly. He wouldn´t be able to fight, he knew it, but still, he looked her in the eyes with as defiant a look as he could muster. She seemed surprised, not expecting him to stand back up. Sighing, she closed her eyes.

"Akeno." She said, with a commanding tone.

"Thank you, president!" the black-haired woman replied, a blush forming on her face as she licked her lips. Everyone else shivered, though Rider didn´t know why. He prepared himself regardless, predicting another strike of lightning. He had one shot at this. As the lightning would strike, he would dash behind the redhead, and cleave her in half in a single strike. Even if he died here, he would not let the poor thing in the stone structure live a life of a slave. He strained his muscles. His armour glowed a dark red, a sure sign of his weakness. One hit would be enough to kill him, his regeneration was that slow at the moment. He would not allow it. Having just regained his freedom, he knew how horrible it was to not be free. He had killed many a Jailer for it. This one was just another one on the list.

He closed his eyes. He would need to rely on his instincts for this. He waited. Energy crackled above him. Not yet.

It started to bundle itself together. Were he to look at it, he would see a dark cloud. Not yet.

He felt the energy align itself to strike right where he stood. Not yet.

The energy flared, and shot straight down toward him. Now.

He dashed behind the enemy, shocking his opponents.

"Wha-How!? He was nearly dead!" the brunette whom he had shot earlier, exclaimed. Not wasting time, he slashed at the redhead, who stood in front of him, back turned, her head moved enough toward him so he could see the agape mouth and scared expression.

´How could a man fight at this level after being hit by a punch like that!´ she thought. However, just before the sword cut into her skin, a familiar voice cried out in despair.

" **Stooooooooop!"** it cried. Rider´s blade came to a halt, inches next to the redhead´s neck. They all looked at the girl Rider had saved, who was panting heavily, tears in her eyes, holding onto the large wooden doors, which were cracked open.

"Asia! You´re safe! Thank God-ouch!" the brunette said, holding his head in seeming pain as he ran over to her.

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" he asked. The girl started trembling.

"Asia? Why are you trembling like that? Did he…?" he trailed off, noticing her state of undress. His face went red, though from anger or embarrassment, Rider couldn´t tell. Probably both.

"You BASTARD! How dare you do that to Asia! I´ll fucking kill you!" he screamed. Rider tensed up. If this escalated further, he would have to take the leader hostage. He did not like doing that, but all his other options were exhausted.

"Issei-san, you idiot!" A hand connected with the boy´s face, resulting in a loud, resounding slap. It took a whole ten seconds to register with the brunette that he now had a red mark on his cheek, and he turned back to his friend(?).

"Asia, why are you on his side?! Wait…are you under his spell?" the boy continued rambling. Only to be slapped again.

"Issei-san, this man rescued me! He was the one who saved me from my client, who is lying right there!" she cried, pointing toward the smouldering corpse of the monster. They looked over. Indeed, there was a corpse lying there, split right down the middle, smoking out of the wounds. They then looked over to Rider.

"Well, this is awkward. We fought the wrong man, huh?" the blonde boy said.

"Oops. Sorry about that. Though I wonder how none of us actually noticed that thing." The brunette said.

"That´s because you just ran off when you heard Asia-chan scream, and tend to have tunnel vision whenever she is in danger, Issei-san. And since you were fighting him, we just assumed you knew what you were doing." Answered the blonde.

"Senpai is an idiot." Added the small white-haired girl.

"Ouch. I _do_ have feelings, you know?" the brunette said scratching the back of his head.

Rider sighed, and sheathed his sword. Looks like these people were on good terms, meaning the girl was not being held against her will. And whilst he was slightly suspicious of the whole thing, her joyous expression made him question whether she really was a slave of this woman. He was about to ask her, when someone stopped him.

"I have a question."

He turned around. It was the redhead. She had a doubtful expression on her face.

"Why would an exorcist like you help a devil?"

He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. He sighed, then looked her deep in the eyes and shrugged. After all, why wouldn´t he help a person in need? After all, if he had not acted, he would have been as guilty as the beast. As he thought that, something else came to mind.

´When good men look away, evil prevails.´

A small smile formed itself on his face. Now, he understood the meaning behind those words. He was about to approach the blonde girl once more, but…

"Wait."

He stopped again. This was getting annoying. He looked at the redhead with a mild glare.

"If you don´t mind helping our kind, even though you are an exorc-"

He shook his head. He was no exorcist, whatever that was. And even if he was, he would have still helped. Standing or allegiance didn´t matter to him.

"You´re not? Then how can you wield a blade of light?" she asked. He grunted in annoyance. Blade of light? This is simply a sword made with the cutting-edge technology of the hive. Pun not intended. Anyone with an arm can wield it. He stayed silent. She realized that he would not answer the question, so she quickly shifted back to her original line of questioning.

"No matter. I wanted to ask whether you would like to become a devil."

Rider blinked. He had no idea what a devil even was. The redhead continued with a smirk, interpreting his confusion as being baffled at the prospect of receiving such a fantastical offer.

"You would gain a lot. You would live nearly forever, would gain power greater than anything you might gain through training alone, and would become a part of the prestigious house of Gremory."

He narrowed his eyes. That sounded too good to be true. There must be something she would gain from that bargain. And it must be something important, if what he got out of it was anything to go by. He pointed at her, silently asking why she would make him an offer like that. It took her a good minute to get the message, and once she did, she crossed her arms,

"What I would receive in return? Well, how to put this…" she trailed off. Her hesitation did nothing to ease his suspicion. She briefly pondered why he didn´t talk, but focused more on trying to present the less appealing part of the deal in a good light.

"I think it may be best to explain the process first. Do you know the rules of chess?"

He shook his head. Was it some kind of ritual? After she had quickly explained the rules, he chuckled. A ritual it was, indeed. They all were slightly taken aback upon hearing him express any mirth at all, as he seemed to be the serious type, but shook it off rather quickly.

"So, now that you know about that, I will explain. After reaching a certain age, devils from the noble houses of Hell receive a box of chess pieces. These pieces are known as Evil Pieces. The devils absorb the King, allowing them to grant humans the power of any piece by making them absorb it, turning them into devils and granting them various powers. For example, Koneko, the girl that beat you, is my Rook, and basically gives her super strength. Once they reincarnate, they are part of my so called peerage, and are seen as my subordinates, or servants, if you will."

Rider tensed up. There it was. The one thing she stood to gain from this deal. His freedom, which he had given up his only ally in this universe for. And though he did make another in the rabbit, he didn´t exactly have the means to contact him, now did he? Heck, Rider had essentially killed his old self for his freedom, and now, this woman wanted to immediately take it away? He was less than thrilled as he crossed his arms, tapping them impatiently with his index finger as he waited for her to finish. So he could deny her, of course.

"Now, this may sound bad, but it doesn´t mean that much. We mostly treat each other as equals anyway, and your actual duties are minimal. As a matter of fact, since you´d be part of one of the greatest noble houses of hell, you´d have the chance of courting some of the most beautiful girls out there. Heck, if you become strong enough, you might be able to start your own peerage, if you like!"

Rider did not care. He was having none of it. He would refuse, his freedom was too valuable.

"So, what do you say? Will you become my servant?"

He looked into her eyes. He could tell she really wanted him to accept. No, she _needed_ him to join. He was taken aback as he found true despair behind her confident façade, just barely visible in her eyes. Why, though? Why would she require his servitude so badly? Though it didn´t truly matter. Whatever it was, it would not be worth his freedom. Nothing would ever be, he thought to himself as he let out a sigh, clearing those things from his mind. He would think about it later. He focused back on the devil in front of him, and shook his head. His cape fluttering in the wind as he turned around, he finally arrived in the doorway once more.

"How about this? I will give you seven days to think about it. If you still would rather remain human, I´ll stop asking. If you do change your mind, then you´re most welcome."

Rider gripped the door harder, and turned around. With a not very threatening, yet annoyed expression, he gave a slight nod before slowly closing the door, a loud creaking cutting through the silence before it closed with a loud bang. He thought that he might´ve forgotten something, but as he sat down and closed his eyes, he forgot about it, and made the entire waking world fade to black.

 **Welp, that´s chapter 3 wrapped up! I will admit, this was kinda tough to write. Mainly because of the word count (over 3000). Now my hands hurt. I´ll take a nap.**

 **Leave a review if you have any (constructive)criticism or anything that might boost my massive ego.**

 **I hope you enjoyed! Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here it is. Sorry the release of this one took a bit longer than usual, but this one was SOOO tedious to write. Mainly because it´s the first time I´ve ever tried writing a lighthearted scene. Ever. So please don´t judge it too hard. But first, the reviews!**

 **Doccy Larsson Seraphim: Thank you for constantly reviewing this story every time just minutes after I release a chapter. Though I have to apologize, as I might allow Rider to join the peerage at some point. Whether that will be as a devil or not remains to be seen ;). I sincerely hope to continue seeing your reviews until this story is completed!**

 **DarkBlight: Thank you for reviewing. I do hope as well that I can manage to bring this little project to a close at some point, mainly because I would hate to leave people that genuinely enjoy this story hanging. Though I cannot really say anything else in regards to your review, seeing as you mainly touched on subjects I will write about in the next chapter. I do hope to see you again in the next chapter!**

 **Now then, without further ado, let´s a-do it!**

Rias sighed as the doors slammed shut. Whoever this man was, he was strong, far stronger than her, or any of her servants, even in his state. Perhaps even strong enough to shatter her shackles. As the thought of that disgusting wretch entered her mind, her nose scrunched up, almost akin to a reflex. Banishing him from her mind, she turned around, her crimson hair fluttering as she did so.

"Are you really alright, Asia?" she asked her servant with a far softer tone than anything she had displayed this evening. There was no need to ask anyone else that same question, thankfully. They did not face the stranger head on, except for Kiba, and he seemed to be doing just fine, if his calm smile was anything to go by. Issei may have taken a bullet to the leg, but he was sturdy enough, and besides, Asia had healed him as the redhead questioned the stranger, sealing up the hole rather quickly, and judging from the fact that he was not turning to ash, that was the only damage that the weapon inflicted.

"Y-yes, President. I´m fine. He saved me before my client could really do anything to me. B-but, if you don´t mind me asking, do you have a spare uniform? Mine got, well…" the blonde timidly answered with a red glow on her face as she looked down at herself, only wearing her underwear, the rest of her clothes lying tattered across the clearing. Relieved, Rias giggled at the younger devil´s plight.

"I´m sorry, Asia, but we don´t. You will have to wait until we get back to the clubhouse." She informed her servant. The blonde lowered her head, comical tears flowing down her face, until a certain brunette handed her his coat.

"Here, Asia. Take mine." He said, looking away as to not embarrass her further. She looked up, smiled and put on the coat. "Thank you, Issei-san!" She said as she threw herself on him for a heartfelt hug. He blushed, feeling the small mounds on her upper body through the rather thin cloth.

"Y-you´re welcome." He stuttered goofily, a perverted grin on his face as the sensation made him completely forget the cold evening breeze. Though a sudden cold glare piercing him from behind pulled him right back into reality. He gulped, and faced the owner of said glare, and unsurprisingly, it was Koneko, whose usually neutral demeanour had been replaced by something that was colder than the Arctic, yet contained anger hotter than Mt Vesuvius. Then, opening her mouth, she condensed those emotions into a single word that hurt more than that bullet ever could.

" _Pervert."_

Upon registering the venom-filled sound, Issei´s knees weakened, and he ungracefully fell to the ground.

"No! Koneko hates me! Why! Why would you do this to me, Go-ow! My head!" he cried in despair, before some sort of pain caused him to hold his head. He could not take a cute girl hating him with a passion very well. Unless he got to see them in a state of undress beforehand. Then the pain felt far more bearable (even if the hate, and thus the pain, exponentially increase the more said female is undressed). Also, he made a mental note to not say God (ouch!) in vain. Makes devils have the worst migraine ever.

"Don´t worry Issei-san, I´ll always be there for you!" Asia quickly butted in, rubbing his back to comfort him the second he winced at the pain. Upon hearing this most wonderful music to his ears, he looked up into her eyes with a thankful gleam in them. She truly was the best, for the lack of a better word, person he´d ever met on this planet. Nothing came close to the Good that she was. Innocent, cute, compassionate, gullible, clumsy…it´s like she was vanilla ice cream.

"Asia…thank you." He answered far too joyfully, tears streaming down his face. Her face turned slightly pink at the sight, and she looked away. The others began snickering (minus the girl with white hair), causing her blush to deepen.

"Oh, get a room, you two." Rias began to tease, a smirk on her face. And sure enough, it had the desired effect, and the two devils turned bright red whilst the others all enjoyed a good laugh at their expense (minus one).

"But on a more serious note, why does the ground look completely burnt?" Kiba then asked, bending down to inspect it further. The King blinked at that. He was right. The soil of the whole clearing gave off the impression that there had been a forest fire or something of the sort. It could not have been caused by magic, she didn´t use any herself and Akeno used her lightning but twice, which was far too little to cause damage on this scale.

"Do you think it was him?" Issei inquired, pointing at the dead devil that was lying on the ground a bit further away. The corpse was still smoking, and seemingly beginning to turn to dust. However, Asia shook her head, her face free from any red colouring staining it from the teasing a few seconds ago, and expelled those false thoughts.

"No, he did not use any magic at all. He was cut down before he could even do anything. So it must have been…" she trailed off, her eyes widening in realization. "Do you think it was Mister Samurai´s fault?" she asked, to which their leader nodded. It could not have been anyone else; he must be one at fault. Though how he created this mess without using magic of any sort was a mystery to her. Oh, well. She would ask him when he joined her peerage, which he definitely would. She would not accept any other outcome. He was strong, even without the power an Evil Piece granted, could wield a blade that was their kryptonite, and seemed to be kind enough: exactly the qualities she searched for in a potential servant of hers. That left only one unanswered question, a question she´d been dying to ask.

"Mister Samurai? Really?" she asked her servant with a teasing tone, embarrassing the blonde girl. "W-well, he didn´t give us his name and-" she stuttered, a hint of red reappearing on her face. The peerage had another round of laughter, flustering the blonde further, and the familiar heat she thought was gone for the evening returned. Well, at least she wasn´t freezing. It may be summer, but tonight it was really cold for some reason. She then pointed a finger at Rias, pouting cutely as she did, and demanded that she come up with a better name for him!

"Hmmm…what about Oda? As in Oda Nobunaga? You know, the great samurai?" Rias responded after thinking a little bit. Asia looked a bit confused, not having studied Japanese history as much as her; Akeno, however, smirked, seeing a golden opportunity to tease her King and friend. She walked up to her fellow servant and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Asia-chan, it´s okay if you don´t know. Only a person completely obsessed with Japanese culture would know something like that." She said, causing the redhead to turn a light shade of pink as she fumbled to respond to the unexpected tease. "That is not true, and you know it! It´s called common knowledge! Tell her, Issei!" She said, looking at the boy in question, who was scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Actually, I have no idea what you´re talking about either, President." He answered with slight hesitation, due in no small amount to Rias´s dumbfounded stare which turned indignant/disappointed within a few seconds. "How did you even get into a school as prestigious as Kuoh Academy with such lacking knowledge of your own country´s history?" She asked, a vein popping on her head. He gulped.

"C-can I pass on answering that?" he responded meekly. Eventually, she sighed, and gave up on her Pawn, instead looking to the other two devils for help, a pleading look in her eye. They must at least know this, right?

…right?

"I´m offended, President. Do you really think that I´m as stupid as Senpai?" Koneko deadpanned, causing Issei to have another depression at the edge of the clearing before Asia jumped in to save him once more, though Rias paid them no mind this time. Countering a tease of her friend came before teasing the helpless young. She looked back at her Queen, a victorious smirk on her face, though the black haired beauty simply giggled in response, and stuck out her tongue. Her King was so fun to tease.

"Alright, let´s head back. Asia should not spend the night wearing Issei´s coat, it´s too cold for that. Akeno, prepare the teleport." She commanded whilst rubbing her arms as another breeze kicked up, and was met with a nod from her Queen, who stretched out her hand toward the ground, and began murmuring an incantation in an incomprehensible language, though her very slight shivers nearly gave away that she too was rather cold, something that her friend couldn´t be allowed to know; giving her ammunition to tease was a deadly mistake. Shortly after, a red circle appeared on the ground, and they all stepped into it, causing it to light up. As they were warped away, Asia looked at the church one last time before feeling herself fade away from the clearing.

Rider woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside. He looked out the window, rays of sunlight bursting through it and making the grey interior much easier on the eyes due to the colouring that the light brought by passing through the wonderfully intricate blue- and yellow-coloured design on the windows, which were starting to get overgrown by vines. This building must be rather old, he realized, as it was starting to crumble on the inside as well. It looked like a battle had taken place here – or it had simply been abandoned in its fight against the tooth of time. After finishing his train of thought/poetic observations, he noted that he was leaning against a big altar of sorts. He must have been so tired that he simply fell asleep after tumbling toward the first thing that came into view. It was then, when he tried to recall why he was even sitting in the place he was, that he remembered the events of yesterday night, and the offer he had received.

He frowned as his memory finally started its jogging routine, and the specific details came back to him: his servitude in exchange for immortality and enormous power. Hmph. His freedom was not worth **anything** that woman could give him in return, nor was it worth **anything** in the world. Never would he have to think twice about giving it up. However, she seemed truly desperate to make him her servant, which made him even more distrustful than he was before. Why was she so eager? Did she know of his true capabilities? But how would she ever know of his power? He had not been able to fight her peerage well enough to make her believe that he held such power, or did he?

Then it struck him. She must have noticed that he healed himself slightly during the battle. That must be it. She has keen eyes, that, Rider had to admit. She may be sharp, but still nothing but a power-hungry tyrant that wanted to abuse his power. But then why would her servants be so devoted to her? She did treat them rather well, apparently, though he wondered if they were subjected to brainwashing of some kind. Nobody would give up their freedom so easily, after all. Which made him wonder just how far she would go in order to enslave him.

As he continued to recall the events that had taken place not too long ago and began to slowly build up an emotion toward the redhead that was not quite hate, but still far more distrust than is probably healthy toward a complete stranger (a concept which got him locked up, so he wasn´t all that happy about it himself (though in that case, the Guardians arguably made the right decision, as much as he hated them for it)), he heard the doors creaking. Immediately raising his guard, he stood up and narrowed his eyes. He then readied his sword, by just barely pushing it with his thumb out of the sheath, glowing brightly, even in the sparkling sunlight.

A few seconds after, a familiar face was poked through the crack in the door, shyly looking around, probably, no, definitely for him. He let his sword fall back into its sheath, as this person posed no threat to him whatsoever. Neither did her fellow servants, now that he was rested, for that matter. The sound of the weapon falling back into its sheath was loud enough to get her attention, and once the blonde finally laid eyes on him, she gasped. She did not expect him to be awake, apparently. She then stuck a hand through the crack as well, and timidly waved at him, as if she wanted to test whether she had permission to enter.

As he reciprocated the gesture and thusly gave her clearance, Rider wondered why she was here. Her master gave him a week to decide, so she could not be here to ask for an answer yet. Was she sent to manipulate him? He supressed a chuckle - as if that would work. Though he wouldn´t fault her for trying; she was but a slave to the redhead, she obviously had no choice in the matter. While he continued to ponder the issue, the small devil had pushed the doors open enough for her to walk through, her luggage in tow, which was hidden behind the wood until now.

As he shook his head to get his train of thought to the final stop for now, he took note of what she was holding. A basket was gripped tightly in her hands as she slowly stumbled toward him - it must be quite heavy, he realized. Taking pity on the girl, he walked over to her and held out a hand, motioning for her to hand over the basket. She looked at him, and reddened slightly as she handed it over. He had no trouble holding it in one hand, and once she was sure that he could handle the weight, she motioned to a nearby bank, and they sat down on it. Though Rider had to admit, he was slightly touched that this girl was concerned enough to check whether he could bear the weight; it was nice to have someone care for once. As Rider sat down, the bench turned black around him, though he ignored it, it was to be expected, really. He set down the basket, and focused on more important things, like what the contents of this basket were - although he had forgotten that his guest did not know of his **condition**. Her eyes widened, mouth slightly agape as the bench went black beneath her, and she jumped up at first, unsure how safe it was to sit on the darkened wood. He observed her reaction with narrowed eyes. Was she going to treat him as a monster now, too? Was she going to try and lock him up like some animal? He wouldn´t let them. Albeit she did not seem that surprised, so perhaps that was unnecessary.

"So it was your fault, Mister Samurai…" she said. Rider raised an eyebrow. She didn´t sound very surprised too, which intrigued him, but the name she thought of for him was quite adorable, though silly. He chuckled and waggled his finger in front of her. He would not ever want to be called Mister Samurai; only over his dead body would he be known by that name, though he did wonder what a samurai was. Might be some kind of acronym. Super Amazing Master Under Rain Above Ice? Wait, that made no bloody sense. He stopped before his brain came up with more weird jumbles of words that only served to insult his own intelligence. In the meanwhile, the girl got really flustered as she realized that she had accidentally blurted out her nickname for the stranger, causing her to blush.

"S-sorry! I kind of just blurted that out! I did not know your name, so-" He simply smiled as he heard all this, as he didn´t care as long as she stopped and patted her head, interrupting her embarrassed rambling. He did not know why he did, it just seemed natural to do so. With this comforting gesture, she calmed down rather quickly, albeit there seemed to be a bit of disappointment in her tiny pout when he took off his hand, but he didn´t notice, as he had turned his attention to something else, which had been nagging at the back of his head for a while now. He pointed at the basket, seeking to change the topic and wanting to finally find out what she had lugged up to this building. The girl was happy to oblige as her pout vanished, and she opened the basket whilst she hummed enthusiastically to herself. Rider was stunned as he saw what it contained, and a loud rumbling resounded through the building, silencing the hums as the blonde slowly looked at him.

 **And there we go. Chapter 4 is done! This was one of the chapters in which I mainly focused on setting up the next one, seeing as this one had quite a small amount of substance to it. In the next, there´ll be actual plot from the anime, so don´t worry about that.**

 **While writing this chapter, I had quite a few problems with the peerage scene, as I need to learn how to fit in each and every character into such a scene. It felt rather forced.**

 **Though the rest went rather smoothly, if I do say so myself. I am probably just a lot more comfortable writing from Rider´s POV.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review if you have any criticism, and I hope to see you again in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I´m back! Sorry this took a while to upload, but I had three big issues while writing this chapter: exams screwed me over, I had a sickness that was a motivation sapper more than anything, and Breath of the Wild happened to be delivered the day after I finished the last chapter. But this fic will not die until it is finished! Now that my little speech is over, let´s get to the reviews!**

 **Doccy L. Seraphim: Thank you for constantly reviewing! And honestly, I had not even thought about what Rider would see the angels as. Though now I will obviously include that in the story! And yes, I myself did not like that ending, but I could not for the life of me find a better way to end it, mainly because I set a goal for each chapter; I will write until a certain point in the plot and then end it, but as you see, it may cause rather shitty endings. Anyway, I hope that I´ll see you again this chapter!**

 **DarkBlight: Thank you again for reviewing, though unfortunately, I must disappoint you: unless I somehow manage to have an inspirational streak that lets me write forever, the length of these chapters will stay roughly the same. I hope to see you again regardless! And i fit truly bothers you that much, you can wait a while for me to release multiple chapters, and then binge-read them.**

 **ultima-owner: Actually, Rider is his name, and is called that by the Star multiple times, and thus he identifies himself with it. Even if Rider is just a name given to every one of the clones, „our" Rider is still called Rider; though he might get himself another name, just to get rid of his last ties to the hive.**

 **blessingpilot4: Thank you for the ego boost, though I can´t exactly figure out what was badass about my writing. If you plan to review again, please specify what you liked and what you didn´t. (However, flattery will always yield a response. So please include more of that in your next review)**

 **Now that the formalities are dealt with, let's jump in right where we left off!**

Rider looked away in slight embarrassment as the echoes faded away. The basket was filled with fresh, delicious looking food, and seeing as he hadn´t eaten for a long time, he couldn´t help his body´s natural reaction. He stole a quick glance at it again, just to check out the dishes, whilst trying to supress his stomach with all his might; suffice to say, that was harder than the hits of the Edge. There were sandwiches, weird white rolls with an orange middle bit, and apples filling it to the brim, all of which looked so appealing to his eyes that he grimaced as his stomach began to ache to be filled.

He had to consciously hold himself back to not give in to those urges and immediately start digging in. That would be rude, after all, even though his belly was telling him to screw that, and it nearly convinced him, were he not aware that he didn´t need to to eat. His prolonged stay in the torture chamber in that prison was proof enough of that, they never fed him. Although he never asked himself the question as to where his energy to live came from, he decided that it didn´t matter, and besides, he doubted that he would be able to find it out anyways. Regardless, whilst he did not need food to survive, that did not mean that he would refuse a meal when he got the chance, though. He always relished the taste, especially since he rarely ever got the chance to. And all of this looked _quite_ tasty. He didn´t notice, but a small glimmer appeared in his eyes, which the cook took notice of.

The girl giggled, drawing his attention as she picked up a sandwich, and handed it to him. With slight hesitation, he held out his hand, though a confirmation in the form of a nod got him over that as he grabbed hold of it. He tried to remain polite, but if she handed him the food, he assumed that he could start eating, but before he did, he lifted up one of the sandwich´s halves…for science. Also, he was simply curious as to what the food on this planet was like. The bread had some sticky brown stuff on it, with purplish jelly covering it. Looked processed, so this planet must be at least somewhat technologically advanced, he thought as he put the top half back in place, and took a small bite. The blonde was watching him anxiously this entire time as she twirled around a lock of her hair. Would he like her cooking, she wondered.

He chewed it slowly due to the stickiness of the peanut butter, then swallowed shortly after. He looked at the sandwich with a conflicted look, taking a deep breath, which worried her. Did it taste bad…? She was feeling slightly depressed now. She cooked all of this to thank him, and yet, she could not even properly thank the man who had saved her life. Tears started pooling in her eyes. She truly was a failure on every single account.

With another deep breath, the conflict in his eyes disappeared and his head shot toward the sandwich in his hand, taking a huge chunk out of it. There was barely any of it left in his hand. Asia was stunned at this unexpected development, and was gaping at how much actually fit into his mouth. Was he actually just trying to restrain himself from devouring the sandwich like that before? She smiled and wiped off her tears. She had actually done something right for once. Perhaps there was hope for her yet, she thought, as she giggled at the fact that he looked like a hamster with those big cheeks before he swallowed, and threw the last remainder of the dish into his mouth. She picked up another sandwich, and handed it to her saviour, who took it gratefully without hesitation and gobbled it up even quicker than the last.

As they continued this little routine of theirs, the girl began looked around in the down time she had once he started with the bigger dishes. The church looked really pretty today, she noted, the sun really did a lot to make this drab place seem like it actually was God´s house, like a church should feel like. She felt a slight urge to strike a pose and sing that wonderful ball of gas praise, but ignored it, as something else drew her attention. On the floor laid a weird, orange coloured machine of sorts, which had a cavity inside it, presumably for a human, considering the shape. The hole where the right arm would enter was burned off, though, and whatever was on the other side of said hole was completely gone. The other side had what was apparently a cannon attached to it, though the edges of the barrel were singed.

One thing was certain, however: this machine was not made on planet Earth. It was simply too advanced, it honestly gave off the vibe of a device aliens might use in one of Issei-san´s movies. She glanced over at Rider, who had now taken the whole basket for himself. Currently, he was holding a piece of sushi against the sunlight, unsure of what it was, and it made her wonder. Was this man truly an alien? In that case, what was his purpose on earth? Was he a scout for an invasion? Or did he crash land in the forest? She would definitely need to tell the others about this.

Rider did not notice any of this, his curiosity about this planets food making him drop his guard completely as he took a bite out of this odd dish, and upon realizing it tasted great, began shovelling them into his mouth at an incredible rate as the taste tickled his tongue in a wonderful way. Every last thing this girl had made him was delicious. He had already finished basically all of it, when he realized he was being extremely rude here. She probably wanted to have some of it as well. He turned to her, and saw her deep in thought, her expression shifting every few seconds. He wondered what had gotten into her, but decided to shrug it off, as she probably had her own issues, like anyone did. He poked her lightly in the forearm to (successfully) shake her out of her thoughts. He pointed at the last dish in the basket, a small bowl covered with tin foil, with a raised eyebrow.

She soon caught on to what he was asking, and answered that she´d already eaten her lunch beforehand. She sounded a bit nervous, which caused Riders eyebrow to rise a bit further up. Why was she nervous, he wondered - in fact, why was she here in the first place? He had not exactly asked for this, so why? He pointed at the basket again, making sure she caught his questioning look, and after she repeated her earlier statement of not wanting any of it, he grumbled, seeing a slight problem brewing. He tried many variations of the gesture, but it still took at least five minutes for her to realize that he was asking about the reason behind the food, not the food itself. She hesitated a bit, after all she had never done this before, and the knowledge that the man next to her might be an alien made her quite nervous, but she answered nevertheless.

"I m-made this as thanks, f-for saving me the other day. R-remember?" Rider raised an eyebrow upon hearing her answer. Was this how people thanked each other on this planet? By cooking food that tasted so wonderful? He could get behind that. There was an ever so slight hope in his belly that she got into those kinds of situations often so he could get this kind of reward frequently, but his conscious made him slap himself for that, which startled the girl. However, once he took off the foil, and started gulping down the lukewarm liquid, she calmed down, albeit his face scrunched up at first. He had thought it would be warmer than that. It tasted rather good anyway, so he ate it just as fast as everything before, emptying the bowl in record time. He placed said bowl back in the basket after he´d finished, and closed it.

He then turned to face the girl, though she seemed to be slightly depressed. Had she seen his grimace from before and thought that he hated the taste? Well, he could not have that. He took out his sword, the girl seemingly too deep in thought to notice the sound. That changed when he stabbed the ground, which shocked her out of her thoughts easily, and she half expected to be butchered and devoured as well. But him quickly carving a shape he guessed stood for heaven, or in this case, the heavenly taste of her food. He´d seen it a lot on the design of those windows. After finishing the carving, he sheathed it again, and looked at her. She continued looking at the shape he had carved, and her expression changed from surprise, to relief rather quickly, and she seemed confused. He wondered whether he´d guessed the meaning of the symbol wrong, something that proved to be correct.

"Um, what does the crucifix…ow!" She couldn´t finish her sentence, as she held her head in pain. A questioning look was answered with her explaining that her thinking or speaking of any kind of symbols tied to ´christianity´, whatever that was, caused her to having a splitting headache. So naturally, she then began to give examples, until she fell to her knees from the pain. The sight caused Rider to sweatdrop. He couldn´t decide whether he should pity her, or laugh how much of an airhead she was. Well anyways, he didn´t get the right symbol, so he pat her head, and just let her know with a smile that he enjoyed her cooking. Once she got the message, she looked away shyly, murmuring _"You´re welcome"_ , before standing and picking up the basket.

"Well, I have to leave now. But, um, did you really like it? You don´t have to lie. I only had four days to learn how to cook…" She looked depressed again as she said that. He sighed. She really always felt the need to degrade herself, huh? He nodded, making sure to smile as brightly as he could, nearly straining the muscles on his cheeks. He really never used those, to be fair. But apparently, his efforts sufficed as she smiled again.

"Thank you, Mr. Samurai! I´ll see you again soon!" she said as she walked away. Riders ears perked up at that. Does that mean that he´d get to eat more? He really hoped so. She was definitely a good kid, though he still did not appreciate the terrible nickname. He decided to let it slide for the food. He turned around, wanting to snooze again after that rather delicious lunch. That is, he had not heard her mutter something else. What he heard sparked surprise within him, but it turned into rage shortly after.

"…I hope you join…"

So she was sent to manipulate him, huh? Well, it would take more than food to make him change his mind. The next part of her mumbling was barely audible.

"…just three more days…"

So the woman first sent her servant to manipulate him, and would then try to force him to make a decision early? As he turned around and grabbed her shoulder rather forcefully, he hoped for her sake that he had misheard. Her eyes widened in fear as she was forced to stare right into his pale blue eyes. Was it due to the nickname? She could apologize for that mishap, but she knew it could not be that. It would not cause him to be this angry. He must have overheard her talking to herself. Once he motioned for her to repeat herself, she obliged all too happily, after all, he could kill her in the blink of an eye.

"W-w-we will s-see each other again in three days, where you will make your decision to j-join the p-peerage. A-after all, four days have p-passed." She said, finding it hard to speak with the intense glare right in front of her, barely managing to even find enough air to do so. Had she not added that last bit, her fear would have been validated by fury unlike anything she´d ever seen, not directed at her, granted, but she may have been severely traumatised. He let go immediately, not wanting to harm this captive any more than necessary. Had he really slept for four days? Well, he had fought without rest for far longer than any one of the Hive´s warriors should, so that might explain it. But that did not mean by any stretch of the mile that he had to like it. He started walking back to the bench, and sat back down, waving to her as he did.

Asia, now fearful of the stranger, wanted to leave as soon as possible. She waved to his back hesitantly, and quickly made her way out of the church. How could someone as gentle as him just as rapidly instil fear in her unlike anything she´d ever felt before? She shivered as the tension in her body began to disappear once the doors slammed shut behind her. She looked at her watch. It was still the early afternoon, meaning everyone was probably at the clubhouse. Turning her head up, she began the trek down the mountain. She had a lot to tell her friends, that´s for sure.

Meanwhile, Rider was thinking about the offer he had been made. He had nothing else bothering him immediately, so he would try to solve this ´dilemma´ first and figure out what his next steps would be. Sure, he stood to gain a lot from becoming a ´devil´, whatever exactly that was. From what he could tell, it wasn´t a biological enhancement, as they looked as humanoid as him; he assumed that the lightning strikes, the gauntlet, and any other kind of ability those people have might be due to those Evil Pieces. Absolutely not worth his freedom. After all, if he stayed to serve that woman, how would he be able to return to the Free World to protect it? He had not yet paid the rabbit back for helping him become truly free, and he probably never would. It began to dawn on him at this point that he had no real way to make his way back. He looked at his wingsuit, still broken and depleted from the battle against the hive.

Rider had no knowledge of its structure, so he would not be able to repair it. He could extract some materials to upgrade his guns, though. Each and every member of the hive builds their weapons themselves, the only exception being the wingsuit, which helped the troops maintain their guns in the field. But maybe, just maybe, the devils might know how, which made him grimace as he was very well aware of the issue with that. If they did, they might use it as a bargaining chip, and if not, they might try to steal it and replicate it for themselves. But if he didn´t ask them, he had no chance of ever fulfilling his purpose.

Wait. His purpose? Was defending the Free World for eternity just to repay the rabbit truly a purpose worth living for? He may owe him for helping him achieve true freedom, but should he truly waste it just to repay what he owes? He did not have an answer for that question just yet, so he grumbled to himself as he racked his brain for something the rabbit might have said that could help him solve his dilemma. He did not find anything, and he had searched his entire memory. Sighing, he realized that this was something he had to decide for himself.  
Three days had passed while he thought about it, though to him, it felt like no time had passed at all. While he was in thought, he heard someone knocking on the door. He ignored it, not wanting to be disturbed. Nevertheless, the knocking did not cease, which began to annoy him, and he grunted as it echoed off the stone walls once again. Damn, whoever it was, they were quite stubborn. If they knocked one more time, he would blast that stupid door out of its hinges and bury the idiot who decided to disturb him underneath.

Sure enough, there it was again, even louder than before, the door literally shaking under the force exerted on it. Rider had had enough, and stood up. As he drew his gun and charged the blast, he realized that the room was much darker, and sported a golden hue, which indicated that it was probably either around the time when the sun sets or rises. Or maybe both. Who knew if this planet did not have two suns? He then wondered who could be stupid enough to actually visit him right now. Either there were witnesses he did not notice when he fought the beast, which is highly unlikely, or the devils are at his doorstep. But why? It´s not like three days had passed already, right? Or did they? He realized that he might have sat on that bench for three whole days, just thinking about his life, a theory supported by the bench being completely black, and looking much thinner than the last time he looked at it. He should probably open that door. It must be one of the devils. It had to be. No one else knew of him, and the possibility exists that the time had already come. And he honoured his promises. Even if he made them to a slavedriver.

He started walking toward the door, when he noticed that the knocking had stopped. He stopped in his tracks. Had they left? He hurried his step, as he was in no mood to break the second promise he ever made. Once Rider reached the door, he pulled it open, with surprising ease, so easy in fact, that the door flew off its hinges and flattened him against the opposite wall. He was surprised, to say the least. And hurt. Well, he did want to do just this to his guest, so this might be an appropriate punishment. He shoved the door off of himself, and staggered out of the rubble. After brushing himself off, he turned his attention to the huffing white haired girl in the doorway with a slightly annoyed expression.

"When someone knocks on your door, you answer." She stated matter-of-factly with an impatient tone as she tapped her feet on the ground, waiting for him to finally get over to her. He made a mental note to never make her wait or annoy her in any fashion. That door smashing into him hurt like hell, and he had a feeling that having her fist in his gut might not be so pretty. Also, he still was a bit miffed from that time she basically broke his spine. With that kind of strength, she could succeed where the Chain failed, to put it in the masked bastard´s words: "No regen from that."; even if it would take quite a few hits for that, enough to lower his own assessment of a battle at least one whole rank.

She sighed and motioned for him to come over, as he was still far too slow for her liking; she just wanted to get this over with, her cup of cocoa in the clubhouse was getting cold. He obliged and hurried up. In no time at all, he stood in front of her, just beneath the big doorframe, now with only one half of said door remaining. He had to admit, it was impressive. This little girl had managed to cleanly punch a giant door off its hinges, while leaving the other half completely undisturbed. The devil then turned around, and walked into a red circle on the blackened soil, with many symbols inscribed into it. It started slowly turning, and she waved him over. Rider followed her into the circle, trying not to stray too far from the corruption. This planet was beautiful, and he would not corrupt it unless he had to defend himself, which, if his judgement of the redhead was correct, might very well be possible. The girl then took out a piece of paper, and pointed at his hand. He narrowed his eyes. What was that paper for? Was it to manipulate him in some way when asked to serve that woman? She noticed his scepticism, and sighed, though she could not blame him. After all, to him, it might seem that Rias was a manipulator, binding those she found useful, and killing those who posed a threat.

"Don´t worry. This just allows use of this warping circle, nothing more." She said, though his worries still persisted. He then thought of the alternatives. He wingsuit was broken, so flying was out of the question. And walking would destroy the beauty of the planet. So basically, he had no other options. He held out his hand, and she simply slapped on the paper, the symbols transferring over to his hand with a faint red glow. She then threw the paper on the ground, having no use for it anymore, and Rider observed how it rapidly dissolved the second it hit the soil. It did not hold his attention for long, however, seeing as he had a more pressing issue at hand. He looked at the small devil, who had closed her eyes and was seemingly concentrating, presumably to get the teleport going. This was soon proven to be correct, as the circle started turning faster and faster, and Rider felt a part of himself start to fade, though he did not panic.

He had experienced warping once before, in his life in the Hive, which hurt about as much as you´d expect it to when you disintegrate atom by atom and get reassembled somewhere else. So it surprised him slightly that this teleport felt rather…pleasant. Or rather, instead of being shredded into small portions that get put together somewhere else, it was more like having a gate come toward you; the preferred way to enter a room for any procrastinator. He closed his eyes and waited for the blackout that followed every teleport, after all, the consciousness needs to be moved as well. His mind went blank shortly after, and no trace of the two remained in the clearing.

Not a second after, he felt a slight breeze on his skin, signalling to him that he could open his eyes. He looked around, and found that he was still in an area full of trees, but instead of a building made of stone, there was a large wooden mansion cast in a golden light standing in the clearing. Wondering where said golden light came from, he turned around. The second he saw the source, his jaw slacked, the sight was that breath taking. The sun was the source, and it shone through the trees, which were soaking wet, likely due to rain, which made the whole forest shine in a myriad of colours.

As he continued to admire the scenery, he felt the small girl poke him in the side, which snapped him out of his trance. "Come on." She said, pointing toward the rather intricately designed wooden doors of the mansion. As he remembered the corruption spreading from his feet, he made a note to hurry up, and followed the way she was pointing. The doors were decorated with golden doorknobs, and had a few golden plates accentuating its form. They walked up to the doors, and she swung them open quickly. Once they were inside, they closed shut behind them, and Rider took a look around the house. It looked quite old, giving it a noble atmosphere. Not the shallow, flashy sense, but more of an experienced, brave sense. This mansion had stood here for a long time, that´s for sure. That made the creepy vibe this house gave off even worse, though. There were shadows everywhere, and he expected a glowing pair of eyes to just stare right back at him through the darkness, preparing to attack. The fact that there weren´t any only worsened the feeling. He would prefer to know he´s being watched than being left in the dark. He cracked the tiniest of smiles at his rather bad joke, before slapping himself mentally. This was not the time for that.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the girl beckon him toward a large staircase, and he sighed, as he did his best to mask the fact that he was very much on guard. Besides, he´d kept them waiting long enough. Once they arrived on the top floor, facing a long corridor, he spied two doors at the end of it. He could hear a bunch of voices talking to each other through one of them, albeit he could not make out what they were talking about, even as they got close. She walked up to the one on the left, which had a red wing drawn on it, and knocked. The voices fell silent. "Come in" said a familiar voice shortly after. She opened the door, and entered. He took a deep breath, and followed her into the lion´s den.

 **And that wraps up this chapter! Hope you enjoyed! If you have any criticism, leave a review, and I hope to see you next time. Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, and welcome to Chapter 6! I know I said that last time would include some plot from the anime, and it didn´t. This time, though, there is some good plot straight from the anime. Now, I know what you´re thinking.**

 **Wrong kind of plot.**

 **But before we can get into that, time to respond to the reviews!**

 **blessingpilot4: Thank you for reviewing. As for your question, we established back in chapter 1 and 3 that it is not tied to the Star, and that it would be a consistent blight for Rider throughout the story. Hope that clears up any confudion about the corruption.**

 **Doccy Larsson Seraphim: Thanl you again for reviewing, and as for your proposition…well, you said it would ruin his character yourself. I took that to heart, and am letting him communicate through other means. Trust me, I got this. Somewhat. Maybe. We´ll see if I do teach him to use his voice.**

 **Now then, let´s continue with the plot!**

 **Get your mind out of the gutter.**

Rider was greeted with looks that ranged from full on glare from the boy with the gauntlet to Asias which implied that she could not decide whether to trust him or not. He was not surprised, though, after all, they knew about his…condition. Since they did, he was on guard. He could be ambushed at any time, especially considering the many hiding spots in this house. And the last time, he had lost to the larger numbers, which resulted in him getting thrown in prison. Not this time. He would never let anyone take his freedom away ever again. Though he could not deny that he would enjoy a fight on a scale as large as that.

The redhead, which was sitting at a desk just slightly too large for her, then spoke in a formal tone: "Have a seat on that couch, if you please." Weird. There was an underlying emotion which he could not discern. It was probably fear. Or disgust. That´s what his captors felt when talking to him, that much he knew. So why would these people be different?

He decided to oblige. After all, these people might just be able to help him, and he would prefer to avoid fighting for now. The couch was quite comfortable, though it was not facing the devils, so he had to strain his neck a bit. After sitting down, the woman with ebony hair came up to him and wordlessly offered him a cup of brown liquid with a smile, which, weirdly enough, did not seem forced to him. What was this woman thinking? He took a sip of the liquid, and found it to be rather bitter, sending a slight shiver down his spine. He still liked it, though.

"Oh, so you like my tea? That´s good to know." The woman said, prompting him to look at her again. She seemed genuinely pleased that he enjoyed the drink, however again, there was something in that tone he could not understand. The devil sitting at the desk cleared her throat again to grab his attention. As he turned his head, he saw in his peripheral vision how the woman walked away, giggling while doing so. She was weird.

"So, as you know, a week ago I made you an offer. You would become a part of my household, an infinite lifespan, and gain potential, potential to become mightier than any mortal man that ever lived. In exchange for that, your life will belong to me. You would serve me for what is basically eternity. Though honestly, the most you would do is fight in rating games and hunt down stray devils, like the one from a week ago. So tell me. Have you come to a decision yet?"

He nodded. There was no doubt about it in his mind. He would never give up his freedom. No matter what. Though he did have to find out about their technological advancement, after all, they could perhaps help him return to the Free World, the world he received the duty to protect the second he became his own person. That moment in which he received true freedom was the moment he swore to protect that world. Though he still had doubts whether that was a life worth living, he would decide another day. When he returned to the Free World. He looked at her, and shook his head.

She looked at him. She could see it in his eyes. This was a man who valued his freedom above anything, if he even was human. He was like her, in a way. Though he had seemingly fought hard for it, and she had yet to do so. That would change soon. She would be free of her shackles. And this man would help her. She decided to postpone this issue for the time being and instead gave in to her curiousity.

"Very well. Though I am curious about one thing, and so are all the others in this room." He raised his eyebrows. Was this the moment they attacked? He discreetly put a hand on the sheath on his belt. The devil took a deep breath.

"Are…you an alien?"

Rider was surprised, to say the least. How in the world did they figure that out?

"Asia told us about your…armor? If that is what it is. That and your…ability are not exactly a common thing on Earth."

Oh. Well, there it was. It was kind of obvious, really. Of course a wingsuit just lying around would raise some eyebrows. His **condition** was another big giveaway. Well, they knew now. And Earth, huh? Creative name for the rock you walk on. He chuckled, and nodded. It was then that they either were surprised, or in the case of his guide, a bit less trustful, narrowing her eyes at him. Though that was on the back of his mind as the brunette jumped right in front of him, eagerly saying:

"So you are an actual alien?! That´s so freaking cool! Do you have a spaceship? Do you have a time machine? Do you have a space station the size of a moon that can destroy planets?!" This boy was really easily excited, wasn´t he. Good grief. At least his childishness was entertaining, causing Rider to chuckle. But it did not change that he had nothing the boy thought he did, so he shook his head. The boys shoulders slumped, his giddiness disappearing nearly instantly.

"You don´t…? This is the lamest alien ever." He said, annoying Rider ever so slightly. His master, noticing this and wanting to bash her head against a wall due to the sheer stupidity of her pawn, quickly reprimanded him, and sent him to a room next door where Akeno would…teach him manners. Yeah, let´s call it that. His screams were wuite loud, so Rider decided to ignore them as best as he possibly could and focus on his conversation with the King of this peerage, who seemed giddy at the prospect of talking with an alien.

"So, from which part of the universe do you come from?" she asked. He thought for a minute. He needed a map of the stars to verify his location. He had planned to anyway, as it might be just slightly difficult to find the Free World without any kind of map. He mimicked the motions of opening a parchment, and then pointed to a compass that was conveniently lying on her desk. She understood after some interpreting, and then immediately moved on to her next question. This one was important, not only for her, but also for the rest of the world.

"Why exactly are you here?" she said, causing Rider to grip the sheath harder. He lowered his gaze, and did not answer for a while. Finally, he looked at her, and pointed to a pen and a piece of paper, which she handed to him, eager to get answers. He thought about what to write. He could not tell the whole story on this small piece of paper, so he did something a little different. After finishing, handed her the paper, and she looked at what was written there. She blinked. This was…a receipt? It showed a man with a cape being broken free from chains by a rabbit, which then results in said man fighting…himself? The last little drawing showed him being struck by lightning, while he . So the man sitting on her couch was freed form prison by a rabbit, fought a being that looked like him, or literally fought himself, perhaps his old self, and finally, was defeated? Talk about a crazy story. She looked at him, and gave an understanding nod. If this was true, this man should definitely go free. But this still did not answer her question completely. What were this mans intentions? That was what she needed to know.

"You still did not tell me what you are doing here. What are your intentions on this planet?" She asked. He sighed. She was sharp. He stood up, and walked over to the window, looking at the scenery. The sun had nearly set, colouring the sky a melancholic purple. He was disappointed that it was over, but didn´t bother to much. He would be able to witness this for a while, after all. He opened the window, letting the cool night air inside, causing the four devils in the room to shiver. He then looked at the sky, and pointed toward the star that glowed the brightest. Rias understood. He would leave soon to carry on with some other duty. But what if it included confirming a planned invasion? She had to be sure.

"Tell me. If you will really leave, where will you go? What will you do? Will you leave forever? Or return…with an army?" He blinked, and turned around to look at her. Her eyes held determination. The same the Hand possessed to defend his home. She may be a slaver, but she had guts, he would give her that. He pointed to another piece of paper on the desk, and she quickly had the blonde boy hand it to him. Rider sat down, and wrote something that made his purpose crystal clear.

When Rias held the paper, she noticed it was written like a debt: two pictures, one above a line, another below: one picture was similar to before, a chain being broken by a rabbit. However, a different picture was drawn next to it this time. It was him, floating above a large sphere, shooting down a large…spaceship? So he was in debt to this rabbit, and was protecting his planet from invaders? Well, that cleared up all doubts in her mind. He truly wanted to leave as soon as possible. But if he didn´t, that could only mean one thing: he physically couldn´t.

"Alright, I think I understand your problem." She said, causing a few raised eyebrows among her servants. "Your…armor is your only way to fly into space, and according to Asias description, it´s severely damaged. Which means you´re stuck here. Am I correct?" she continued. Rider nodded. She had hit the nail right on the head. Now came the tricky part. He would have to ask her for help to fix his gear, or at least help him build a new one. But she would try to use that to bind him, rendering everything useless. He would have to tread carefully in this conversation.

She was not stupid. She caught on immediately when she saw that he cast his sight toward the floor. She felt conflicted; the King in her saw this as the golden opportunity to snag him as a servant. But her conscience berated her for even thinking that. He had a world to protect. Could she say the same for herself? But the opportunistic King in her mind did not stay silent.

"Why should their world be more worth than mine?" it said. She had made her decision. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the door opening, a giggling Akeno entering, with Issei following a second later, his hair spikier than before, if that was even possible. Oh my. He had been nearly flashfried. Next time, she should send Kiba to restrain Akenos urges a bit more.

"Issei-san!" Asia shouted, and rushed over to him, her Sacred Gear appearing in the process. "Asia…? Is that you…?" he mumbled, his voice just audible. "Yes, it´s me, Issei-san, don´t worry, I´ll heal you, and then you´ll be fine!" she cried, a green light enveloping his body. "No…I´m too far gone. Don´t cry for me. I´ve had a good life. We´ll see each other again…one day…" He closed his eyes, a smile on his face.

"Issei-san…? Issei–san! Wake up!" she cried, tears in her eyes. "I g-guess I´m useless after all…" she sniffled, hugging his body closer. "Asia-senpai…" a stoic voice rang in her ears. She looked up, and saw Koneko standing there.

"Koneko-chan…he´s dead…I´m useless…please don´t hate me…" The tears were streaming rapidly down her cheeks.

Then Koneko punched the brunette right in the gut, causing him to roll on the floor, coughing in pain. Asia blinked. What had just happened? Did Koneko-chan really just revive someone? Why did they need someone like her, then. She truly was useless.

"Issei-senpai, I know girls hate you, but playing dead just to get them to allow physical contact has to be the lowest low you could ever descend to." the white haired Rook said, causing Asia to blink. What did she just say? She first was surprised, but that feeling soon shifted to something she had never felt before. Fury. Not much, she was too gentle a person to truly stay angry at someone for long, nut now, she felt the slight need to send him back into the other room with the peerage´s Queen.

Rias sighed. Geez, they were actually having a serious discussion here for a minute, but they just had to ruin it, didn´t they? Ah well, that´s why she liked these people so much. She looked at the stranger, who had an incredulous look on his face, though the edges of his mouth were slightly curved upward. Well, this was quite funny, anybody would have to admit that. The brunette was always doing stupid things, which ended with him in the mud, though he was never deterred to continue with his perverted antics.

The boy stood up after begging for mercy from Asia who actualy nearly sent him into another round with Akeno. He looked at his King, and after seeing her harsh, but amused glare, he quickly turned around to apologize to their guest, fearing that she too would like to see him suffer more for her amusement.

"Listen, I´m sorry, it will not happen again. I hope we can forget about my rudeness." He said with a polite bow in the end. Rider was stunned. This boy could switch his demeanour faster than he could draw his sword. Well, if he asked so nicely, he would have to accept his apology. He held out a hand. The boy looked up, unsure of how he could respond. When he saw the calm smile on Riders face, his face lit up. He seized the hand offered to him, and shook it firmly. After that incident was resolved, they all went back to their original spot, surrounding the King.

"Well, that has been dealt with. Now then, I have a favour to-" she said, only to be cut off by a large grey magic circle appearing on the ground. Her eyes widened. She knew exactly who was about to arrive. After all, only one person she knew had a grey circle at her disposal. Sure enough, soon a woman emerged from it. She immediately focused her sight on Rias, and took a polite bow.

"Good evening, Miss Rias." She said in a polite, yet still somehow cold tone. Rider was confused. Was this the cavalry, or what? She sure didn´t look like it. She had grey hair, a stern look on her face and was wearing a maid costume, which tightly hugged her body, accentuating her rather large…assets.

"Why are you here?" asked Rias coldly, somewhat fearful of the answer. If this woman was here, that could only mean that she came to talk about the one thing in life she truly dreaded, the chain she had yet to break free from.

"I´m only here to step in if things get out of hand. Though he should have arrived already." The woman stated, looking around the room. It was then that she noticed Rider. They looked each other in the eyes. In those few seconds, they judged each other´s mettle, by having a small staring duel. She ended it once she had a good grasp on him. He was a force to be reckoned with, that´s for certain. She would have to report this to her husband.

The others in the room shivered. It was just a few seconds of staring at each other, but everyone felt how the room temperature sunk for a minute back there. Then it got warmer again, though Rias knew that it would only get worse. Sure enough, the room got back to its normal temperature. But it did not stop there. It started getting warmer and warmer, causing sweat to trickle down their foreheads. An orange circle appeared at the centre of the room. A few seconds later, a large, muscular man appeared in it, a smirk on his face. His gaze focused on Rias immediately. The words he uttered then would be a big shock to all devils who were kept out of the loop, Akeno not included.

"Ah, Rias, my fiancée. How have you been?"

 **There we go, the anime plot finally begins! If you have any criticism, be sure to leave a review. I hope you enjoyed, and I´ll be seeing you again in the next chapter! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yo duuuudes, what up?! I´m back, yo, with a new chapter, yo! First, though, let´s answer dem reviews, duuude!**

 **ultima-owner: Me too, dude, that bastard so hotheaded, not even space xould cool him down! Only a lightsabre to the face, dude, would solve his attitude, yo!**

 **Ok I´ll stop that. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope to see you again next chapter, ultima-owner.**

 **DarkBlight: Thank you for reviewing, but just knowing that you thought it was good, unfortunately doesn´t help me improve what I write. And reviews with more substance, even if they criticize me harshly, generally motivates authors to write much more. So next time, could you please specify what you enjoyed, and what you think could be improved? I would truly appreciate it. And that would also improve the update frequency, so that would solve your problem as well. Actually, then you wouldn´t be able to binge read cause you review every chapter…oops.**

 **To anyone who plans to review, please read the answer above. It is basically me asking to leave reviews with actual substance. But I know that you all just want me to get on with it, so let the chapter BEGIN! Oh, and before I forget, as I write this, the story has been viewed over a thousand times, 1337 times to be exact. No joke. Thank you to anyone who kept returning to this story over the last month. I hope that it continues to entertain you as long as it lasts. Now then, this time for real, BEGIN!**

„Whaaat?!" the whole peerage shouted, except for its queen, who had the foresight of holding her ears shut. Rider, however, was not so lucky. His ears hurt, and he could´ve sworn that there were at least fifty phones ringing right now. He held his head, hoping that this pain would subside soon. He would probably get a headache from this. After a few seconds, he mustered up the grit to ignore the pain and looked at the new arrival.

It was a tall, blonde man with a slightly higher that average muscle mass, which was exposed by his attire, a simple white shirt which was opened at the top of his chest. On top of that, he wore a dark red blazer with two pockets, and blue jeans completed his look, resembling a delinquent. Though his blue eyes had a piercing gaze, Rider could tell that this man could not judge others very well. His eyes mainly pierced clothing, serving only to undress others in his imagination. This man was just a playboy, an idiot who thinks women are just dolls for his own use. Rider was disgusted already, and this man had only just greeted the King of this house.

"For the last time, Riser, I will not marry you. Not now, and not until the end of time. Now, _get out._ " The redhead said, causing Rider to be actually a bit surprised. He made a mental note to not piss this woman off. Ever. That tone sent cold shivers up his spine though the man named Riser was not fazed in the slightest. In fact, the confident smirk on his face only seemed to get wider.

"Oh? But it was our families who decided this, weren´t they? And we both know that going against their wishes would amount to nothing. After all, the purity of the noble blood we devils possess is at stake. You would not want to see our race go extinct, right? This marriage is the only thing that will prevent that." That smile started irritating everyone in the room, though Rider didn´t really care about what he said. He simply hated people who acted cocky, who thought they were superior to him. Though another male in the room, a certain brunette, was angry for different reasons.

"What do you mean by that, huh?! She said that she will not marry you! Besides, she is only 17!" Issei shouted, causing Rias´ eyebrows to shoot skyward in surprise. He would stand up to Riser for her…? Though no one noticed, a slight blush spread on her face. Rider, however, facepalmed. How could this boy not comprehend something as simple as this? It was literally what his race would do if dogs started dying out. Breed them to ensure their survival. The only difference lied in the sentience of the woman in question. Though, he would have to retract that statement. That _girl_ was intelligent enough to refuse, meaning that he would not condone it. However, he would only help if she could not unshackle herself.

"Issei, stand down. He is a high-rank devil, of the Phenex bloodline. His family has enough power to actually rival the Gremory clan. And besides, it is my family´s will." She said. Issei backed down, though he did not like this one bit. Asia sent him a worrying look, though he tried to calm her with a smile. It didn´t. Riser smirked, and sat down on the couch, only to notice he had an unwelcome neighbour.

"Oh? And who is this weirdo?" he asked, causing a vein to pop on Riders forehead. Any more of that attitude and he might just slice off his arm, just to get him to shut up. Seriously, if he got any more condescending he´ll end up in space. And if he did, and Rider got his wingsuit back online, he´ll gladly blast him to infinity, and beyond. The peerage noticed this, and got slightly nervous. If a fight broke out here, the entire school might be demolished. That would not be fun to explain to the teachers.

Besides, everyone had a reason to have the school stand. Asia, Koneko and Kiba wanted to learn, Akeno and Rias enjoyed toying with the boys here, and Issei would lose so many opportunities to peek. He would never let those just disappear. They were his sole reason to exist!

"This _weirdo_ is my guest. Now leave him alone. We were discussing something important when you rudely barged in." Rias said, her fingers tapping the table impatiently. This man was seriously getting on her nerves, though she knew he would not just leave. He was simply too stubborn for that. But hey, so was she. She gave Akeno a hand signal, and she understood, and left the room.

" _Give him a Darjeeling. He hates that. Add tons of sugar."_

"A guest, huh? Well, I can´t have that. After all, this weirdo might just try to seduce you. And judging from your attitude, you would actually respond to his advances just to spite me." The noble said, giving Rias a bad feeling. "You. Leave this house, and never return. If you don´t stand up within the next ten seconds, I will burn you alive." He said, his smirk getting even wider. Rider nearly snapped right there. However, he managed to keep his cool. No battle could be won by getting unnecessarily riled up. Instead, he did the one thing that arrogant idiots hated the most: he ignored him, and instead looked at Rias, lifting up his cup, silently asking for a refill.

Risers smirk disappeared from his face, being replaced by a deep, angry frown. "Hey, _peasant._ Don´t you _dare_ ignore me!" he shouted. Rider paid him no heed, aggravating the devil even further. Rias was trying her hardest not to show her joy. This sight satisfied her to no end. The great and mighty Riser, desperately trying to get a _weirdos_ attention, as he so eloquently put it.

Though she also feared what would happen to the stranger. He might have been able to take a punch from her rook, but Riser had the powers of a phoenix. Just how was anyone supposed to actually beat him? He was much stronger than anyone in the room, except for that maid, who had just been enjoying the confrontation with…a smile? Just what was she thinking?

"Hmph, alright then. 10." A spark flickered in his hand.

"9." The spark got brighter.

"8." It took the shape of a tiny sphere.

"7." It grew larger, about the size of a finger.

"6." It continued growing.

"5." It was larger than his hand.

"4." He held it right to the strangers head.

"3. You should hurry if you want to live." Rider did not budge.

"2. Your last chance." Rider did not spare a glance.

"So be it. 1."

"Zero." The fireball shrunk, focusing itself for a blast. Riser did not care that behind this worm was the entirety of his fiancées peerage. He was about to let his shot loose. He really thought that the maid would intervene. Good thing she didn´t. He smirked. This worm got what he deserved. The fireball glowed brighter and brighter. Goodbye, filth.

"Oh my, what´s going on here?" a voice said, its owner standing at the door. The fireball dissipated. Akeno walked toward the guests, a tray with tea in her hand. She smiled sweetly. She handed Riser his tea, and looked at Rider. She giggled, and handed him another cup, knowing he liked the beverage. As he lifted his hand to grab it, she pulled him toward her. She whispered a few words into his ear:

"Please don´t cause a ruckus. There is another couch right on the other side of that table. Take a seat there" She said, the smile never leaving her face. Rider grimaced, and looked at her master, who looked like she was about to have a panic attack. She would have intervened had he refused to move, but thankfully, she didn´t have to. Rider sighed, and took a seat on the other couch. His frown deepened. This couch was really damn uncomfortable. Damn that prick for taking his seat! Oh, and now he´s smirking again! That is it! He would slice this prick into so many pieces when he got the chance that not even his family will be able to recognize him!

He grumbled. He would bide his time. No use getting riled up now. He sipped his tea. As good as before. However, this time he took his time to enjoy it. That, and to avoid spitting out his drink, like the man sitting on his spot. He had to keep his laughter at bay. Oh, thank you, devils. This was so worth everything he had to endure!

"What is this shit?! I hate Darjeeling! And it´s so damn sweet! Bleh!" Riser screamed, smashing the cup in his hand. His glare focused on Rias. "You´re responsible for this. You knew that I hate it, and yet you had the audacity to serve me a cup." He suddenly regained his annoying grin. "Now, how will you fix this? I´ll give you a choice. Either you take a seat on this here couch and act like a proper fiancée." He said, patting the cushion next to him. Rias´ eyes narrowed. "Or what?" she asked, venom dripping from her voice.

"Or you give me one member of your little entourage to…entertain me." He said, looking at the girls next to her like a predator would look at defenceless prey. His eyes focused on Asia, causing her to shiver. Issei immediately pushed her behind his back, making her smile in gratitude. Riser didn´t care much for it, though. He knew exactly what his fiancée was going to answer. She sighed angrily, and stood up.

"President?" Issei asked, though he fell silent when he realized what she was going to do. He wanted to protest, but was silenced by a kick to his shin. He turned, and saw a very tense Koneko. He understood. They just had to endure. Once this was over, they could find out how to deal with him. He clenched his fists.

Rias sat down, only to immediately find herself being touched all over. Risers hands creeped up her legs, through her hair, which he took a sniff of. It took all her self-control to not blast him with her magic. But she endured. This was gross. She then felt his hands slowly starting to grope her breasts. Hmph, she did not care about that. She had enough restraint to remain stoic. He would not get any reaction out of her. She would never grant this pigthat pleasure. She would rather die.

She then felt his hands move again, with another destination. She felt immediate alarmed. That place…should only be touched by the man she loved, not this arrogant, disgusting _pig_! She gulped. It was inevitable. She would not allow him to lay a single finger on one of her servants. She would sacrifice anything to prevent that. Even…this. She took a deep breath, which did not go unnoticed by the noble. His smirk widened. How was that even possible at this point? She swore that his mouth extended beyond his face at this point.

"No reaction, eh? Well, perhaps if I go a bit lower, you might actually show us all your true nature, _darling_." She shivered at those words. Not due to fear, but pure fury. She would pay him back one day. But right now, she would endure. Endure the pain, and then destroy him. His hands slipped under her skirt. She braced herself for her torment.

"BOOST!"

Her eyes shot open just in time to see two people punching Risers face in. One was Issei, his gauntlet flaring up in red light, the other being the stranger, who looked like he was enjoying that beatdown a little bit too much, a satisfied smirk on his face. Her jaws slacked, a light shade of pink becoming slightly visible on her face. They had punched Riser at the exact same time, with no discernible planning, and knocked him straight into the wall. Ugh, she would have to pay for that later. But more importantly, how did they pull this perfectly synced attack off?

"Hey, why did you attack the bastard when I did!? He´s mine! I will not let you steal this fight from me!" Well, there we go. They had not planned anything at all. She sighed. But then again, why would this man help her? They didn´t know each other that well, and he had no reason to help. He answered Isseis question with a deadpan expression and a shrug. Why, she did not know. That could wait until later. The pig was getting up. And he was pissed.

"Oh, so now you decide to attack me, huh?! Well then, I think I´ll show you just what happens when you mess with me!" He shouted, snapping his fingers. A total of sixteen circles appeared on the floor, all coloured orange. From them, sixteen girls emerged, some young, others…mature. They all had a rather smug grin on their face, just as bad as Risers, which had once again returned. He pointed at Issei, and said:

"You´re her pawn, right? If you were a rook, that might have actually hurt. And you must be one of her knights. In that case, you shall fight my weakest pawn, just to show you the difference of our skills. Mira!"

A small, blue haired girl stepped forward, twirling a staff in her hand. She seemed confident. Far too confident. Rider immediately laid a hand on his swords hilt. His partner in crime was not as careful. "Really? You´re telling someone as young as her to fight us? Ha, don´t worry, kid, I won´t break any bones-"

In the instant he was about to finish his sentence, he was hit in the stomach, sending him tumbling to the floor. "H-how…I didn´t even see her move…" He fainted. "Issei-san!" Asia rushed over, a green glow surrounding the boy once again.

The blue haired girl grinned, and lifted her staff, aiming to hit Rider next. He didn´t want to harm her. Judging from her stance, she was inexperienced, likely forced to work for the prick. He drew his sword, and sliced her staff right above her hand.

She continued swinging, the movement too fast for her eyes. After she was done with her attack, she finally noticed. Her weapon was utterly destroyed. She started shivering. That was faster than Karlamine, their strongest knight. Rider sheathed his sword, and looked at the maid in the corner, who understood. He wished to avoid further conflict. And so did she.

"Sir Riser and Miss Rias, there will be no further fighting. This conflict was prone to happen, so your families already came up with a way to resolve it. In short, this will be decided by a Rating Game." Those words caused Riser to smirk, and Rias to go pale.

"Ah, good. So basically, this marriage will take place whether you want it or not, my dear Rias. After all, I will never lose in a Rating Game. I assume we have a week of time to prepare, as is custom?" The maid nodded. "I´ll be taking my leave, then. Farewell. Or rather, see you soon, in my bed, where you belong, my darling Rias."

He left with a laugh, its taunting tone echoing through the halls. The maid turned to Rias, and bid her farewell as well, before leaving. The second she did, Rias immediately rushed over to Issei. Thankfully, he was okay. He would wake soon. She then looked at her second savior, who was looking right back at her. She now had seen a glimpse of his true power. However, she would not actually ask him to join her any longer. She would settle for the second best option.

"Please, help us train."

 **There we go, another chapter done! Honestly, I think this might´ve been one of the easiest chapters to write for me so far. So, hope you enjoyed, leave a review if you think its shit and have suggestions to get the gold inside of said shit, and I hope to see you again next time. Bye!**

 **And no, I won´t apologize for the sick intro.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I have returned from my eternal slumber…which lasted a whopping four days. Now, hold your horses, before we get into this chapter, we need to answer the reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: Yeah, he kind of has to if he actually wants to make an impact in this universe. However, that wording gives me an idea…**

 **lolrus555: HOLY HELL THAT`S A LONG REVIEW. Alright, now with the obligatory overreaction out of the way, first, thank you sincerely for taking your time to write such a long and detailed review. Now, for your questions/concerns:**

 **In hindsight, I agree. He was just a bit too emotive in those instances, and I might rewrite those scenes to stay in character.**

 **In fact, the entire corruption thing is rather fickle; since I´m the only one who knows why it happens, and it´s a HUGE spoiler, I cannot reveal why the food didn´t just fade away. However, I promise, later, it will be revealed. If you like the explanation or not is a different matter, though.**

 **Don´t worry, Issei won´t get the shaft, if anything, he gets the fist from Koneko or the whip from Akeno. But even though I dislike his over the top perverted nature, the rest of his character earns him some of my respect. So the worst that will happen is that he ends up in many, many situations where he is the "comic relief guy" as I call these characters. But since that happens to him all the time in the anime anyway, it won´t change him too much. Also, since most of said comic relief in the anime begins with him being smothered by boobs, I think he´s okay with it. However, Riders appearance will of course have an impact on Issei, positive or negative, we´ll see.**

 **Now, with that out of the way, let´s get started with the chapter!**

Rider sighed. He had a rather crazy evening the day before. First, the door of his makeshift house was smacked right into his face, then he had to negotiate with a woman whom he thought was a manipulative bitch, and finally, after finding out about her haughty prick of a fiancée, he had been asked to help her train for a thing called "Rating Game" against that bastard. He had accepted, for two reasons: first, it put her in his debt, which he could use as a bargaining chip to make her use her family´s connections to help him repair his gear. And second, the prick had annoyed and insulted him. Rider took that personally, and now he would tear him in half, and if the rules of their little game didn´t allow him to participate, he would simply make sure she would not lose. Not to that pig, nor against anyone else on the planet.

He was currently sitting In front of the broken stone building he called home, looking at the sun rising beyond the woods surrounding the church, as they called it. He looked at the grass below his feet. He did not have to bother with not walking on it in this area anymore. The fight a week back was long enough to completely blacken everything in the general vicinity of the door.

He ripped a bit of the corrupted grass out of the soil, and examined it. He never really bothered before, but now he was curious as to how the corrupted wildlife looked like. Upon close inspection, he noticed the grass was in fact not burnt, as it looked like to someone just passing by. Instead, it looked drained, as if someone stuck a straw in it and sucked out everything, including most of the things that held it together.

In that moment, a gust of wind blew it out of his hand, making it turn to dust and disperse, leaving no trace of the original form. He sighed wistfully. Perhaps, one day, he could find out how to cure his…affliction. He resumed with his observing of the sunrise. It was not nearly as beautiful as the sunset, but that didn´t matter to him. He just enjoyed this, especially since all he saw the last few years was a bleak, purple sky, permanently raining, with lightning and thunder crackling through the sky every so often. Though he couldn´t see any of it until he was freed from his cell.

He crossed his arms. While he did enjoy the view, his escort was late. It annoyed him slightly, especially since he had agreed to train them when he could work on repairing his wingsuit himself. After a short while, he heard the familiar sound of a magic circle appearing, making him sigh. The sun was almost directly above him. Just how relaxed did they expect their training to be? He stood up. His escort appeared in the courtyard, and it turned out to be the same girl as the day before.

She looked at him with her deadpan stare, beckoning him over, the magic paper already in hand. He walked over, and let her apply it to the back of his hand, throwing it away immediately after. Good, she didn´t waste time. The circle appeared again, and he closed his eyes as he felt himself fade away once again.

He opened his eyes as the teleportation process finished, and saw a mansion in a clearing, though this time, the mansion was significantly larger and the woods surrounding it lead into huge mountains, which meant that this had to be far from civilization, if anyone lived close by, it had to be a small village at most. The mansion itself was in much better shape than the other, the wood not being jagged in as many places. This must be a vacation home or something. This was the perfect place to train.

He and his escort walked briskly toward the wooden doors, which were already open. Rider grimaced. The ground was being corrupted with every step he took. In his peripheral vision, he saw the girl looking at the ground with her trademark neutral expression, though her eyes were slightly widened. Yeah, seeing it is quite different than just hearing or speculating about it. She noticed him looking at her, and stopped. It must make him uncomfortable, and she didn´t want to upset him. Curiosity killed the cat, after all, and he was quite capable of killing her.

She swung the door open, and they entered. She guided him toward the living room, where the rest of the trainees were sitting, waiting for their coach. They perked up when he and his escort entered, and Rias stood up, a small smile forming on her face.

"Welcome. I do hope we didn´t keep you waiting." She said, though he glared slightly at her, making her a bit nervous. So they did. She thought that it might be better to change the subject. "Well, no matter. We have something else to do now, anyway." Rider raised his eyebrows. What else was there to do before training?

"We never really introduced ourselves, after all. My name is Rias Gremory, and I´m the King of this peerage. I specialize in destruction magic. It is nice to meet you." She said with a bow. Rider nodded. It might be better to know the name of his trainees, after all. He looked at the ebony haired girl beside her, who had somehow already prepared a cup of tea for him, perhaps anticipating his arrival. He took the cup, and motioned for her to continue as he had a sip.

"My name is Akeno Himejima. I am the Queen of this peerage, and specialize in magic, specifically magic dealing with lightning and thunder. It is nice to meet-hm?" she said, only to be stunned as Rider suddenly became very wary of her. Lightning? That reminded him too much of the shocks he received in the cell. In fact, from what he could tell, she was a sadist as well. This girl was far too reminiscent of the Chain for his liking. Though he had to remind himself, the man was dead, and so he relaxed his stance, though he was still wary of her, and nodded. He looked at the blonde boy standing next to her, and pointed at him, signalizing that it was his turn. Though he kept the Queen in his peripheral vision at all times.

"My name is Kiba Yuuto. I´m the only Knight currently serving the President. My specialty lies in using my swordsmanship and my superior speed to beat my opponents. It is nice to meet you. I hope we get along." He said with a dazzling smile that many a young maiden would fall for, but Rider nearly facepalmed. This kid really was just the epitome of a knight in shining armor, wasn´t he? Well, there was one thing bugging him. Where was his weapon? He tapped the sheath of his sword, and Kiba smiled. He lifted his hand, and a second later, a sword manifested itself in it.

"My sword is a Sacred Gear, which allows me to create swords at will. It´s name is Sword Birth. If we spar, I might show you just how many I have at my disposal." He said, that constant smile never leaving his face. Rider sighed, and nodded. He would just have to accept this goody two shoe´s attitude, he guessed. He moved on to the next trainee, who turned out to be his escort.

"Koneko Toujou. Rook. I punch things to pieces. Nice to meet you." She bowed, her neutral expression unchanging. Rider nodded, smiling slightly. That is how it´s supposed to go. Short, straight to the point so that they could get straight into training. The next one in line was the blonde girl that had brought him lunch a few days before. She was still a bit scared of him, especially given how he was when he was mad, which had happened quite a lot in the last few days.

"H-hello. My name is Asia Argento. I´m the Bishop and heal everyone when they´re hurt. I can do it because of my Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing. Nice to meet you, Mister Samurai." She bowed politely. Though she wondered why exactly everyone was chuckling like that. She then saw her savior glare at her lightly, making her realize what she called him due to reflex. She blushed a deep shade of red.

"SORRY! I named you that in my diary and now it´s just a reflex!" She then realized that saying that might have been an even bigger mistake, considering she was writing in it just a while ago and now it lied on the table, ready to be opened and used to tease her even more.

So it made her glad that Rider simply ignored it, likely to spare her from more suffering, and moved on to the last person in the room, who turned out to be her crush. "I´m Issei Hyoudou. I´m the pawn of this peerage." The brunette sighed, making Rider nod. It must be hard to know that you´re just a simple footsoldier, too weak to accomplish anything by yourself.

"However, this is only temporary! One day, I will become strong enough to create my own peerage, and become the Harem King!" Rider spat out his tea in a comedic fashion, drenching the teen in lukewarm tea. This boy was something else. He was the lowest of the low, the weakest of the weak, and yet he could say something as ridiculous as this with such confidence. He should better back this with enough determination during his training.

After the boy got changed into a dry set of clothes which one would wear for gym class, he continued where he left off, though he was still bitter that his school uniform was ruined. It was his fanciest outfit. "Anyway, since I´m the pawn, I can use the abilities of anyone else in the team, if I manage to reach the enemy base. And I´ve also got this." He said, stretching his arm, the red gauntlet forming itself on it.

"This is the Boosted Gear, a Sacred Gear which allows me to double my strength every ten seconds, and then I can either transfer it to someone else, or use it for an attack." He finished his explanation, causing Rider to nod, now being in deep thought. That is a very powerful weapon, however this boy seemed to be too weak to make proper use of it. He would have to change that. Though how exactly they trained, he would have to think about later.

He nodded, and beckoned them to follow him. However, the brunette stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, won´t you introduce yourself too?" he asked. Rider took his hand, and pushed it off his shoulder. He pointed at the clock, signalling that they had wasted too much time already. He stepped back outside, the peerage following suit a second after.

He stood in the large field surrounding the house, the ground beneath him being corrupted as he did. As the peerage waited for instructions, he finished planning out a training regime. He turned around, and entered a battle stance, signalling for them to enter theirs. He then relaxed his muscles, and walked up to them to inspect them.

The stances of Koneko and Kiba were good enough, leaving few weak spots he could exploit, even if he attacked from behind. They were specialized melee fighters, after all. He shouldn´t have expected less from them. The stances of Akeno and Rias were rather sloppy, however he assumed that they could cast shield spells or something of the sort, so he didn´t worry too much about them. Then, he turned toward the final two members of the peerage, and he groaned. Asia was just cowering, her desire to avoid conflict apparent. He would have to teach her how to sneak and dodge in that case. Then, finally, Issei. He stood in the field, with an absolutely ridiculous pose, leaving himself wide open. Rider decided to teach him that this was not a game or some weird ecchi swiped at his legs, causing the boy to fall over backwards, landing on his head.

"Ow! What´s the big deal?!" he shouted, rubbing the back of his head. Then he looked up to a furious Rider. He gulped. Rider beckoned over Kiba, signalling that the two should have a spar. The Knight chuckled nervously, and manifested a wooden sword in his hand. He and his fellow servant walked toward a free spot, and entered their respective stance, though Issei changed his up a little, and granted, it was better than before considering he was no longer messing around, but it was still rather sloppy.

Rider fired a shot into the heavens, starting the fight. Issei rushed toward Kiba, who readied his sword. As the Pawn reared back his arm for a punch, Kiba used his speed to dash behind him and knock him off balance with a swift strike to the back of his head. Issei stood up with a grumble, and once again rushed toward the Knight, though he was more cautious this time. As he punched the air once again, seeing as Kiba had done a stylish backflip, the Knight swiftly delivered a slash to his gut, knocking the air out of the pervert´s lungs, though, to his credit, he was still standing. The Pawn started another feeble attempt to hit the Knight, barely being able to stand. Rider decided to end this pitiful display. He motioned for Asia to heal him, an order she did not waste any time in fulfilling, worry clearly displayed on her face.

He beckoned Rias over, and silently requested a piece of paper. After a few minutes, he had it handed over to him, together with a pen, and he wasted no time in writing down Issei´s training plan. Soon after, he was done, and asked the King to assemble everyone. When they stood in front of him once again, he showed them his idea of how to make their pawn more powerful.

First, every day in the early morning, he would run a few laps around the estate with everyone else to get them warmed up. Next after breakfast, he and Asia would learn with Akeno how to master their demonic powers. Afterward, he would train his stance and hand to hand combat with Koneko. Then, he would get a short respite, also known as lunch, after which he would have a training session with Rider himself which would last all the way till dinner. Issei gulped. That was tough. Especially that last bit. The whole peerage couldn´t truly beat this man while he was completely exhausted. And he would have to fight him alone? Great. He made a mental note to write a testament later, in the evening.

"But wait, where is the plan for our training?" asked Asia, a confused expression on her face. Rider smiled slightly. Good, she didn´t want to slack off. He then flipped the paper, showing them a plan that was just a little bit different. Every person who had nothing to do while Issei was being trained got another task. Either they sparred aginst each other, or against Rider. They gulped. This man was going to put them through hell. Rider smirked. Perhaps he was being just a bit cruel. But they had to get stronger quickly. Besides, he wouldn´t kill them. He would only push them to their limits, then push them over the edge.

However, before anything else happens, he was interested in something different. He motioned for them to follow, and entered the living room. He pointed to a book on a shelf which depicted a person with white feathered wings, a person with black, leathery wings, and the final person, some sort of hybrid of the two, had black feathered wings, and they all seemed to be fighting. The book had caught his interest before, especially as the feathered people looked quite similar to the Song, so he asked Rias to explain its contents. She saw what he was looking at, and sighed.

"That is a history book detailing the war between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels. It will take a while to explain all of it. Do you really want to know?" she responded, making Rider shake his head. No, if it would just waste time to explain it, then he´d prefer starting the training. He then looked at his plan. At this time, Issei would be learning how to fight better at close range with Koneko. She cracked his fists, and the pervert gulped. "I´m going to enjoy this." She said, though her expression remained unchanged, except for the tiny grin that formed itself. She then grabbed him, and dragged him off, presumably to the field. He pointed at Asia, and ordered her to follow the two. Issei was not supposed to die yet. She nodded, and ran off to chase the two.

Rider then looked at the rest. He pointed at Akeno and Kiba, they nodded, and left to spar. That left him with Rias. He needed a good look at her powers, and this spar would help him gauge her strength. She remained calm, and left the room. Rider followed suit, but he had a nagging feeling, and it concerned that book. He just couldn´t shake off the feeling that it was important in some way…

 **Cut! Haha!**

 **Cliffhanger! Deal with it!**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Reviews are always appreciated, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! Bye!**

 **Also, I think your horses ran off while you were occupied. Might want to catch them.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I´m back, bitches! Today, I got a treat for ya, I´m sure you´ll love it(** it´s just another chapter, so don´t expect something huge **)! But first, the reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: I see that someone watched their fair share of DBZ Abridged! I might just steal that joke, actually. You know what, I just have to rewrite a few sections of the script, so excuse me.**

 **blessingpilot4: If you don´t like the frequency at which I update, then I´m sorry to say that you´re out of luck. Because, believe it or not, I have a life that involves-get this- other things than writing** _ **(collective gasp from the audience)**_ **. So basically, what I´m saying is this: I write when I don´t have to force myself to. I want to have fun writing this while providing entertainment for you guys. So please, if you want to complain about the update frequency, just remember that I´m doing my best to provide, okay?**

 **Alright, now that my epic rant is over, let´s get roooooight into the story!**

Rider and Rias stood in the field behind the house, the noises of fighting from the others´ spars echoing throughout the small valley. They were both in their stances, waiting for the other to make a move. Rider stood perfectly still, his sword raised, lightning crackling up and down the blade. Rias stood with her arms crossed, her fingers nervously tapping on her arm in anticipation. From the other side of the house, they heard lightning strike. That was their cue.

Rias instantly summoned a barrier around herself, out of which multiple red beams shot toward her trainer. Rider, expecting something of the sort, sidestepped most of them, the few that came close to hitting him being quickly dealt with by a shot from his pistol. Rias was not done, however. She expected him to dodge those attacks, so she prepared a large ball of crimson energy, which she threw at the warrior, who had to dash out of the way to avoid it. He then began testing the barrier which the devil had created, shooting a few bullets into it, which ended up being repelled, some shooting toward the heavens, others scorching the ground.

So regular shots didn´t work, huh? In that case, Rider had to simply charge his shots beforehand. A barrier always drains the energy of the individual creating it. Stronger shots would tire her out faster. And if she could keep that barrier up for extended periods of time, he could always just dodge her attacks until her stamina runs out. Though he still had to test whether it could also block living beings from entering the inside.

He decided to keep his musings for later, seeing as the redhead had prepared a lot more beams for him to dodge. They shot in his direction, but funnily enough, they all missed. Was her aim that bad? Well, he would take advantage of that. He was in a sort of hallway at this point, with the walls being pure energy shooting by him. He charged. Then, as he rapidly approached the girl, he noticed her smirk, making him realize what her plan was.

He turned around, and saw that the beams had curved, and were now headed straight down the tunnel. He had barely any time to dodge. He ended up dashing out of the tunnel, the beams hitting the barrier, which made Rias cry out in surprise. The devil then, after quite a bit of effort, managed to repel the energy into the woods, exploding once it hit a tree, creating a big crater. She had not actually expected him to catch on to her plan. She would have to mask her emotions better when facing him.

Rider, on the other hand, cursed himself as well. He had underestimated her because he knew that he was just that much more powerful than her, and it almost ended with him getting hit. He had to keep his confidence in check. He looked at Rias, who was out of breath. She had put a lot into that attack, and had not expected to have to deflect it. It was now or never. He ran toward her, and before she could react, he jumped through her barrier, and kicked her to the ground, causing the barrier to fade. She groaned, and looked up. Sure enough, there he stood, his sword to her neck, signalling the end of the duel.

He sheathed his sword as she stood up and dusted herself off. She sighed. She was truly no match for him. She hoped the others were at least getting stronger while she was annihilated. She looked at him, and decided to start a conversation, seeing as they had time to spare.

"Since we have time to spare, how about we have a talk?" she asked, making Rider raise his eyebrows. After thinking about it for a bit, he nodded. Why not? He had the whole rest of the day to figure out in what areas she needed to improve. She smiled, and asked a question he would´ve honestly liked for her not to.

"Why don´t you ever talk?" she asked, curiosity in her voice. Rider sighed. He hated talking. He could never properly use his vocal cords, meaning even if he wanted to, it would take ages for him to learn how to articulate the letters. He never really bothered before, either, considering his…profession. He turned to her, and pointed at his neck, and then pretended like he was reading a book out loud. She caught on, and nodded. Though she did wonder how one could get through life without ever talking. But it was obvious that he disliked talking…er, discussing the subject, so she decided to ask about another issue that was bothering her.

"Why did you flinch when Akeno mentioned her lightning magic?" Rider looked at her with a small frown. This woman seemed to precisely ask about all the subjects that he hated discussing. He groaned. Great. He had tried so hard to forget the torture he had been put through, and now that girl just had to have so many similarities with his tormenter. Well, he honestly had no reason to not share the reason for his dislike of lightning, considering he had already shown her the story of his great escape. He acted as if he had his hands cuffed, and then started erratically shaking his body, as if being shocked. Rias gasped silently at that.

This man had severe trauma, anyone could clearly see it now, seeing as he was still shaking silently, even if he himself was completely oblivious to it. Just how long had he been tortured for a warrior as strong as him to develop such strong fear of lightning? Whatever it was that he was imprisoned for in the first place, the fact that he had not commited any falsehoods that would be truly nefarious made her doubt that causing psychological damage to this extent was necessary.

She wanted to comfort him, tell him that it was alright, but she held herself back. It would just be awkward to comfort this man. Hell, they barely knew each other! Also, she could no longer hear the lightning strikes, leading her to the conclusion that the others were done sparring as well, meaning it was lunchtime. She started walking toward the mansion, and after noticing that he wasn´t following, she turned around.

"You know, if you want to have lunch you should come along, or else we´ll eat your share!" she giggled. That grabbed his attention _instantly._ She would have to remember that for future reference. As they entered the house, they heard the others talking. When they entered the living room, the others fell silent. Rider decided to seat himself on the empty couch. As Rias sat down next to him, she cleared her throat.

"So, who will cook today? Any volunteers?" Only Asia raised her arm, seeing as she had not really exhausted herself. Besides, she wanted to cook an energizing meal for her crush. After all, Issei had gone through hell against the Rook. She had been absolutely merciless. She told him what his stance should entail, mainly balance and a low centre of mass, and then just started beating him up. It truly was a trial by fire.

Rias nodded. Asia was one of the few people here that could actually cook. That´s not to say that the redhead couldn´t, she just wanted to cook for someone she truly loved. However, just having the rookie cook would leave a bad taste in her mouth. She looked around, trying to judge who had still enough energy to cook for everyone. Her eyes fell on a rather joyful Koneko, even though said joy was only visible through the uncharacteristic grin plastering her usually neutral face.

She caught her master´s gaze, and the grin disappeared. She stood up, and beckoned for the bishop to follow, who quickly obliged, happy at the prospect of being useful for once. Once they were out of the room, she turned her attention to her Pawn, a teasing smile on her face.

"So, how did your little date with Koneko go?" she asked. Issei only answered with a tired groan. He would have gone completely red at the insinuation were he not so beat up. Now, he only worried whether the girl actually heard that from the kitchen.

"I actually never knew that you liked it rough, you know. Perhaps Akeno should follow Koneko´s lead before she snatches you away." Alright, that was no longer a joke. Rias had purposefully raised her voice to say that, and he felt a cold shiver run up and down his spine. Though he heard no reaction from the girl in the kitchen. And seeing as he still had not shown an over the top reaction to her teasing, Rias seemed to get bored of it and stopped. He decided that he might as well answer her question, though.

"It was horrible. She just told me that I should focus on keeping my balance, but then she just attacked me immediately after! Just how am I supposed to dodge and keep my focus on my balance!?" he asked, completely exasperated. He was weak, he knew that, but he wanted to improve for the sake of everyone. However, she apparently wanted to stop him from achieving his goal, just enjoying the beating she gave him. Did she actually really hate him that much?

"Issei, you don´t understand. Koneko isn´t good with other people. That´s why she barely talks. That´s why you barely got any instructions. She may be socially inept, but she wants to see you succeed. That, I do not doubt. So, have some faith in her, okay?" Rias said, though Issei still was a bit doubtful of that statement. If that was the case, then why was she so joyful after their lesson?

He was slightly thankful that Kiba started talking at that moment, drawing the attention away from him. The Knight detailed how he and Akeno had learned a few new ways for combining each others techniques. He had learned that he could create a sword that was positively charged, and would thusly be attracted to the electricity created by the Queen, which he could use to throw the blade at an opponent who had been shocked previously, the attraction accelerating it to ridiculous velocities.

Rias nodded. That was excellent news. She then told of her spar, her opponent thinking about what he could do to augment her power. After everyone had told of their session, they started talking about other, less important things, while Issei and Rider were occupied with their own thoughts. A while later, they noticed a rather nice smell filling the room. A few minutes later, Asia poked her head through the door with a warm smile. "Lunch is ready!"

Rider literally jumped up and rushed into the room from which permeated the smell, causing Asia and Rias to giggle and the others to simply gape. So this man´s one, ultimate weakness was food? They had heard about it from the petite Bishop, but this was ridiculous. In the end, they just laughed it off. To each their own. They followed him into the dining room, where he already sat at the end of the long table, which had many delicious looking treats on it.

His neutral expression was betraying his excitement, which he could barely contain, noticeable by the near childish look in his eyes. There were so many things he had yet to taste. There was more soup, though this one contained lentils, salad with bread and meat in it, and then, the one thing that captured his attention most of all was a huge fish, about as big as Rider himself, if not bigger. While a small chunk of it was missing, he did not care, after all, it might just have been ruined in the cooking process. And the way it was shining in the sunlight made him notice how it was cut on its underside, through which it had been evidently stuffed, with what, though, he did not know, and it made him curious and anxious at the same time. With what was it stuffed? He could not wait to taste it and find out.

Rias sat on the opposite end of the table, with the peerage picking random seats, though Asia insisted that she be seated next to Issei. How the boy had not yet noticed her affection toward him was incredible to the rest of the peerage. After the cooks had served, they all clasped their hands together and thanked the cooks for the food. Rider simply bowed his head politely, not familiar with the customs.

Then, as they ate, with Rider taking his time to savour the taste of every bite, and Asia insisting on feeding Issei, who was quite red in the face, Rias cleared her throat, grabbing everyone´s attention. She wanted to inform them of what they would face in a week´s time.

"It would be smart to ensure that we all know who we´re going up against. You remember how I said that the Phenex family has the powers of a phoenix? Well, as you might have guessed, that gives them control over fire, however, there is more. If they are wounded, they can simply regenerate it. Think of it as Asia´s Sacred Gear, just that it´s instantaneous and tires them out way less. And if a member of the peerage is hurt, they have a way to deal with it. They possess an elixir known as the Phoenix´ Tears, which can heal any wounds instantly. That is why they are immensely wealthy, and how this marriage came to be." She finished her lengthy explanation. The bastard could basically regenerate himself endlessly? Just how were they supposed to beat that? Rias, however, smiled confidently.

"Don´t worry. His body may be immortal, but we can break his spirit. If we knock him down enough, he´ll give up." Rider nodded. That was the only way to truly beat someone who had a healing factor. Hell, that´s how he ended up in prison. But if this man was immortal like him, that might actually be good. He always wanted to fight someone with abilities similar to his. The Edge fulfilled that desire of his, but the fight was far too short. He couldn´t properly enjoy it. Perhaps this devil could provide a better fight than the Jailer.

Anyway, everyone was now invigorated, ready to resume their training, or, in the case of Issei, pure annihilation. Yes, it was the time for Rider to train the boy himself. The duo stepped behind the house, the others forming groups to spar after having finished cleaning up. Rider checked the boy. No injuries, he could fight. Rider decided to see how much the teen had improved in the short time he had.

He entered his usual stance, sword raised. The boy followed his lead, crouching slightly, his arms tensing up, the gauntlet appearing on his arm. Rider blinked. This was truly astounding. The boy was using a stance that was far better than any of the others´. There were little to no weak spots in it. However, he was still lacking something. It was not strength, the boy would acquire that in no time. No, it was the fact that he was too tense. He wanted to win, however he knew that he couldn´t, and that made him unsure. He simply was not confident enough.

Rider relaxed, and sat down, patting the ground next to himself. Issei was confused. Weren´t they supposed to fight? What was the man doing? He was still patting the ground next to himself, though. Issei sighed. He should be grateful that his trainer was not wiping the floor with him now. He walked over, and sat next to his trainer who lied down and closed his eyes.

Issei blinked. Why? Why weren´t they training? Was he that much of a lost cause? He ground his teeth. He had better things to do than relax. He had to become stronger! He lied down as well, and started doing sit-ups. Rider looked at him with an open eye. It was commendable that the boy was diligent in his training, but it was futile as long as he did not believe in his own strength. Oh well. He would let him train. Maybe the boy would realize it himself.

After a long while, Issei just laid in the blackened field, out of breath. He had done so many exercises, and his trainer still did not bat an eye. Just what was the deal with this guy?! He agreed to train everyone, and now he refused to help him! It was the same with Koneko. She just wanted an excuse to beat him up! He punched the ground. He hated it. He hated it because he knew they were right. He was weak. He could not do anything. Rias should not have wasted her Pieces on him.

Rider was still observing him, his frustration at the boy´s stubbornness to accept his potential starting to really annoy him. He sat up, and whacked the teen on the head with his sheath, making Issei cry out in surprise.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?! All you did was snooze while I worked, and this is how you treat me?! Why did I agree to your training in the first place?! I could do the same and more alone!" he shouted, pain evident in his voice. Rider looked him in the eye, and stood up, giving the teen a hand. With a surprised look, which was quickly replaced with the angry one from before, he took it, and Rider pulled him onto his feet. Rider then urged him to enter his stance, which the boy did, grumbling all the while. After a while in which no one said anything, Issei was getting annoyed.

"Well, what is it?! Am I just supposed to stand like this?! What´s the point?!" he shouted, even angrier than before. He was wasting time he could use to train! Why was he even listening to this guy?! In fact, he might as well punch him, he was so pissed off!

He lunged toward the man, gauntlet letting out a familiar "BOOST!", making power flow through him. The man dodged to his right, but as Issei hit the ground, he spun around, gaining momentum, and jumped again, nearly catching his opponent off guard. However, the attack was blocked by Rider´s blade, which was drawn far too quick for the boy to see. Rider pushed him back, but Issei stayed on his feet. He prepared another lunge, only to stop when he saw the man´s raised hand.

What now?! Rider sheathed his sword, and pointed toward Issei´s feet. What did he mean? Then, it dawned on him. He did not fall down once in that little scuffle. He had actually improved, in that one session with Koneko. Slowly, as he began to grasp what he had achieved, a grin started to form itself on his face. Silent chuckles soon turned into joyous laughter. He had done it! He was actually getting stronger! He was not useless after all!

After his laughter died down, he looked at his trainer, who was lying once again in the field, enjoying the warmth of the ground. Issei smiled, and lied down next to him. Perhaps he was not a lost cause after all. "You know, maybe you´re not such a bad guy, after all." He said, Rider silently acknowledging it. They both simply enjoyed the sun as they lay together in the field.

 **And cut! Thus ends the first day of training with the gang! This will continue for the next few chapters, so stay tuned!**

 **I hope you enjoyed, and again, if you have any gripes with the story, don´t hesitate to review so I can fix it! I hope to see you in the next chapter! Bye!**

 **Fun fact: As I write this, the story has 2017 views.**


	10. Chapter 10

**HI GUYS! I´M BACK! So, I have to apologize for multiple things. First off, sorry for taking this long to update. I was on vacation for the last week and a half, so I did not have the time to write a chapter. Next, I have to apologize to blessingpilot4, who is nice enough to review each chapter I post, and yet I bashed him in the last responding session due to a false interpretation. So basically, think of that entire response written for him to be replaced by the words:**

" **Thank you for reviewing as consistently as you do!"**

 **Now, to the other reviews! (cue the Seinfeld theme)**

 **ultima-owner: Well, damn. Never thought I would actually make Rider that relatable to someone(even though his fear is marginally worse than yours). However, while I don´t know your circumstances, I´m quite sure that Rider´s fear of lightning is that much worse than yours because it´s how he´s been tortured for a really long time with lightning in the background. So he would naturally develop negative feelings toward it. By the way, I´m not making fun of your phobia or anything. I´m just pointing out that Rider´s fear is worse due to what he thinks of when he sees lightning, and besides, it´s fiction. If it improves the story, it gets inserted. (btw, is that a play on the Dragons hate lightning bit from Dark Souls? Cos if it is, gg.)**

 **Anon: Nice to hear that my writing is enjoyable to read. Though if you´re reading this, you might as well watch Highschool DxD while you´re at it. I am making references to stuff that happens way later on in the story already, so you might want to watch the show to get in on this shit. Also, if you plan to review again, please write something like ´Anon1´ at the end of your review so I know it´s you.**

 **Goldenclaw: First of all, check what I wrote in the review above. The first two sentences go for you, as well. As for those missing words and grammar issues, I might have to check for those. Can´t have that in my story. Also, like your honesty in the last bit. We´re going to get along swimmingly (I actually think that. Who would´ve thought that one could be honest right from the get go?(I lied in both statements. Erase the bit where you´re honest. It destroys my ego.))**

 **Now, with that wild ride being over, let´s continue where we left off!**

„I…k…"

„Iss…ku…"

„Issei-kun!"

Issei jolted up, his eyes wide open. He looked around. The sun was starting to set, casting a golden glow on the valley. Next to him, giggling mirthfully, was the Queen of the gang.

"You know, if all you do is mess around when you have a job to do, I might just have to…" She started, edging slightly closer to the nervous Pawn, who gulped audibly.

" _play with you in your spare time._ " She whispered in the Pawn´s ear, causing him to shiver. On one hand, the first time he had…played with her had already traumatised him to a frightening degree. And she had commented later that she had not even truly been satisfied after their session. So naturally, this made him quite fearful of the Queen. However, the way she talked into his ear in that tone was tempting him to agree to another. Oh crap. Was this girl turning him into a…masochist? He couldn´t have that! He was supposed to be the dominant one! He would be a Harem King one day, dammit! But, just for this one person...nopenopenopenope. He would die if he disobeyed. He crawled backwards, and prostrated himself before the sadistic beauty.

"I´m sorry! It won´t happen again!" he cried, hoping for forgiveness. The Queen giggled, getting slightly amused by the boy´s innocent plea. She sat up, and motioned for him to leave. She wanted to talk to the other person in the field, who just so happened to be still snoozing. Issei ran back to the mansion, hoping that Rias wouldn´t scold him too much. Though it WAS an instruction from his coach, so technically, he did no wrong.

Akeno watched as her junior ran off, and faced the stranger. She took in his features. He did seem quite old, old enough to be her teacher at school. She decided that she would play a little prank on him. She loosened her top as she lied down next to him, and whispered into his ear in a sultry tone. "Wake up, darling." Much to her pleasure, his eyes shot open I surprise, quickly scanning his surroundings to find the source of the voice.

As he calmed down, he noticed the Queen next to him, and his heart stopped for a second. He quickly regained his composure, and sat up. He looked at her, expecting an answer for his disturbed sleep. She just feigned hurt, wanting to tease this far too serious man. "What? Do you hate me that much that I´m not allowed to get near you? Even though I love you so much?" That caused Rider to blink. Was this girl serious? No, it had to be a prank. He sighed. Even if she was not lying, it would never work. Mainly due to the nature of her powers.

He straightened out her attire, and stood up. As he walked away, he heard her voice again. "I´m sorry if I offended you. But you´re far too serious. You should lighten up!" she said in a somewhat apologetic tone. It was followed by another question of hers, which had been bugging her for a while now. "Tell me, do you actually hate me? I saw the way you flinched at my introduction. If you truly hate me, please, tell me why..." There was actual hurt in her voice this time around, causing Rider to turn around. She was looking at him with a face that showed nothing but pure desperation to know. Rider shook his head. No, he did not hate this girl. He might be wary of her…dominant personality, but what he hated were her powers. He walked over and held out a hand. Akeno smiled as she took it.

They walked back to the mansion together, the smell of dinner being strong enough to even be noticeable in the close vicinity of the house. This caused Rider to speed up his pace, eliciting a giggle from the Queen. No matter how powerful they became, men remained simple creatures. They arrived at the table, where the others were already waiting and discussing something, presumably Issei´s training session. Asia seemed to still be worried that the boy was just playing off some serious injuries, though, and was insistent on checking every last part of his body, even the...more private areas. Rider ignored them, preferring to look at what the Rock- er, the Rook cooked this time around. Hell, this was perhaps the only opportunity the boy would ever have a girl willingly touch his private parts, even if it was to check for injuries.

"You know Asia-chan, if you just want to become more intimate with Issei-kun, I have already prepared a suitable bedroom for you." Akeno said, causing the Pawn and especially the Bishop to blush hard. How that much blood fir into her face to cause that deep of a red shade, nobody will ever know. The two quickly separated, though everyone else was having a good round of laughter. Rider mostly ignored the spectacle, observing his "prey" instead.

There was once again a huge fish on the table, with that same part missing as last time, though he paid it no heed, focusing instead on the other dishes lining the table. On the end opposite to him was a big bowl of soup which had a green speckled colour, and next to that lay a plate with long, thin and crispy yellow sticks. It was enough to make his mouth water in anticipation. There was another round of laughter, presumably because of the teasing the two rookies were enduring. He sighed. Oh well, he should probably end their torture. Mainly because he wanted to eat, but also because while teasing the small blonde, he felt compelled to shield her from harm. Why, he did not know. It just felt…right.

He tapped the table, getting everyone´s attention. He nodded toward the seats, and everyone had another small round of chuckles. He would never change, would he. They all sat down, in the same spots as last time, and began to eat. It took a while, and after their meal was done, they started having a bit of smalltalk while Issei and Kiba, cleaned the dishes, due to the competitive nature of Issei and the gentlemanly behaviour of Kiba. Rider chuckled. These two could put on a brilliant show just by being themselves if they wanted to. After they were done, Rias started talking:

"Well, now that we´re full, I think it´s time to discuss our sleeping arrangements. Issei, Kiba will share a room. ´Mister Samurai´ will get his own room. Me and Akeno will take the king sized bedroom, and you two" -she pointed at Asia and Koneko-"will take the room next to ours. Any objections?" Nobody raised their arm. "Good, now that this issue is resolved, we should go take a bath."

"A bath!?" Issei shouted, a perverted grin on his face as he imagined taking a bath with the girls. Rias giggled. "Oh, do you want to join us? I wouldn´t mind." "REALLY!?" the boy exclaimed, his grin widening. "Sure, if no one is opposed to it, then why not." The King turned to her Queen, who had a creepy smile on her face.

"Of course I would not want to spoil your fun, Issei-kun. But, my dear little kohai, if you want me to give my approval, you have to give me something in return." Akeno said, though the Pawn was too absorbed in his fantasies to realize the situation. "Please! I´ll do anything! Just let me go with you!" he cried, causing the Queen to smile joyfully. "Oh my, what a reckless young man we have here. So I´m allowed to ask any one thing of you, aren´t I? Hee hee. I´ll be holding you to that later. Very well, Rias. He can go with us." This elicited a silent, perverted chuckle from Issei which only got louder and louder as his fantasies got exceedingly dirty.

"Asia, are you fine with it?" "Y-yes! I would like to h-have Issei-san b-bathe with me." The Bishop stuttered, a huge blush on her face, starkly contrasting the other girls. "Oh? Only with you? Geez, Asia, I asked if he could take a bath with all of us, but if you are this possessive, I might have to give you two the bath all to yourselves." Rias responded, causing Asia to cast her gaze to the floor as she had a rather dirty thought in her mind. Issei simply continued on with his lecherous fantasies, as he realized the one, fatal flaw in this whole scenario.

"Koneko, would you-"

"No." the Rook interjected firmly. This halted all of Issei´s thoughts, as he simply stood there, frozen in shock. "Oh well, it can´t be helped then. Come on guys, I´ll show you the way. We have two hot springs right out the back door. Kiba knows where they are. Have fun!" Rias said, walking off, the other females following suit, Akeno sporting a joyous smile, Asia still being wrapped up in her fantasies, and Koneko pulling the spaced out Bishop with a neutral expression on her face, though anyone could feel the satisfaction she was radiating after crushing Issei´s dreams like that. Speaking of which, the Pawn was still frozen, the fulfilment of his life being torn away from him after coming so tantalizingly close.

"Well, I guess we should get going as well. Follow me, if you would. I´ll show you your room, sensei." Rider, who had been busy the last few minutes contemplating whether to laugh at the brunette´s depression or physically cringe at the teen´s behaviour, turned around to face the Knight, and raised an eyebrow. What the hell is a sensei? "Oh sensei means ´teacher´ in our language. Since you´re training us and teaching our rookies how to fight, I thought I could call you that. ´Coach´ seems a bit disrespectful, and I doubt you like to be called ´Mister Samurai´." That last statement caused Rider to snort. The boy had a sense of humor, at least. Though he hated the fact that the silly nickname had apparently caught on, even if it was mainly used to tease Asia.

The boy whacked his comrade over the head, snapping him out of his trance. After briefly voicing his sorrow in the form of a cry that shook the house, the boy followed the two other men to the bedrooms, with a big bump on the top of his head. They walked down a few long hallways, and, after a while, arrived at a set of four doors. Two of them were cracked slightly open, with the rooms being completely empty. From the other doors, they could hear cloth being shuffled. They decided to split up for now, and meet again once they´re done unpacking as well.

Rider entered his room, which resembled the room in the other mansion quite a lot. There was a couch, a desk and a window from which he could observe the surrounding area. The most notable difference was a huge bed right opposite the door, which was easily big enough for three adults. He decided to sit on the couch for now and observe the valley at night. As he sat down, he took note of a bookshelf on the wall, which was filled with books that were coloured in vastly different ways. He may not be able to read the title, but judging from the way some titles were written more ´cutely´ than others, he could tell that this was probably for kids.

Since he was so bored, he decided to see whether he could at least read some of it. After all, reading can´t be that hard, can it? He grabbed the book which had a weird looking cover. There were two boys on it: one had green hair and a fancy suit and was petting a black and white dog, the other wore a deeply coloured purple vest and was holding a stone mask with exaggerated fangs in his left hand and a knife in his right. They stood before a large, dark mansion, not unlike the one he currently stood in. He opened the book, and was surprised to see that it was a sort of picture book. He still could not read what the characters were saying, but perhaps he could get some enjoyment out of creating his own story.

A while later, as he was engrossed in the story he was basically making up, he heard someone knock on his door. Sighing, he dropped the book on the desk next to the wall and headed outside. There stood the two boys, holding a towel and a change of clothes each. They then followed Kiba through the mansion for what felt like an eternity, as Issei tried to get Rider to talk about his tastes in women, which Rider responded to with the deepest of groans. Once a perv, always a perv. After Rider had grown a few more grey hairs due to Issei´s consistent prodding, they arrived at the fog door. Or rather, the doorway of the dressing room leading to the hot springs, which seemed to be oozing fog at a ridiculous rate.

They entered, and each picked a corner to stand in to avoid seeing each other naked. Rider took off his cape, followed by his trousers. After he ensured that the towel he had wrapped around his waist was not going to fall off, he started taking off his armour, which had three pieces: gauntlet, anklets, and chest plate. The gauntlets and anklets covered the entire limb, serving as a t-shirt and underwear, respectively. Technically, Rider had no need for the trousers, but he liked the look, so he kept them on. They were simple, standard issue from the Hive, and were comfortable enough. He also disliked walking around in just his underwear, even if it was highly advanced armour, but the reason he didn´t also wear the jacket accompanying the trousers is because he thought it would suit him more to have a cape. Besides, he and the rest of the army were essentially immune to temperature, so who cared? Not the Hive, anyway.

After he was done undressing, he knocked on the wall, which Rider and the teens had declared as the signal to let each other know when they were done. He waited a bit, and soon enough, he heard two sets of knocks. He turned around, and faced them. They dumped their clothes (and in Rider´s case, armour) in baskets, one for each of them. After that, they finally entered the hot spring. Issei, who apparently couldn´t contain his excitement, ran toward it and jumped in. Funnily enough, he did not break his legs in the process, but actually jumped into deep enough water to not get hurt. Geez, this boy was reckless. Or stupid. Possibly both.

Rider and Kiba decided to take it slowly, and entered a spring which was shallow, but deep enough to cover them up to their neck in warm bliss. They both sighed simultaneously in relaxation. This really hit the spot. In fact, Rider was relaxed to the point of nearly missing the sound of constant splashing. Unfortunately, he didn´t. Curious of the source, he opened his eyes, and saw Issei swimming in the spring, his gaze firmly locked to a large, rocky wall that…damn that pervert. That was the wall separating the boy´s and girl´s section. Rider could not decide whether to admire the Pawn´s determination or groan at how pathetic this scene was. Heck, even he could tell that Asia was madly in love for this kid, and yet he was so. Damn. Dense.

Rider sighed, and closed his eyes again. He would ignore him, and relax. Ignore him. And relax. Well, this isn´t working. At all. The boy was making too much damn noise! He thought for a second. How could he get the kid to stop? How would he finally be able to relieve his stress? Then, he had an idea. It would make this bath quiet, relieve his stress and even fulfil Issei´s wish to see the girls naked. Rider smirked. He would enjoy this. He stood up, the water flowing down his torso. Kiba opened his eyes slightly, not understanding why the man would stand up. That expression shifted once he saw what Rider was doing. A shiver ran down his spine as Issei cried for help.

"You´re almost as sadistic as Akeno-senpai, Sensei."

 **And there we go. Now that this chapter is over, I´ll make a small declaration. In the next chapter, there will be hints as to who will be in the harem, so look forward to those! Anyway, please leave a review if you feel like telling me that this is shit or giving me a MASSIVE ego boost, and I´ll see you in the next chapter. Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright, the next chapter is here! Shout it from the rooftops(DON´T), scream it from the peak of Mt. Everest(DON´T) and let this go down in history as the best chapter ever(DON- actually, do that. It´s free advertising.)! But first, reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: Thanks for your review. And well, Issei does get to see the grils in their side of the hot springs. Rider ´said´ as much in his thoughts. So while Issei will not enjoy his stay, he will get his wish.**

 **blessingpilot4: Thank you for your review, and I´m glad that you did. I hope this one is just as good.**

„Ahhh, this feels so good" Rias said as she stretched herself in the hot spring. With all the crap happening at the moment, she couldn´t been find the time to relax properly. She just let herself go, and enjoyed the warmth of the water. Next to her, her Queen was doing the same thing, and they both sighed at the same time. Their usual talks during baths could wait. They all had a tough day. Okay, perhaps Koneko not as much, considering how her day pretty much consisted of cooking and beating the crap out of Issei. But it didn´t really matter. All Rias could think of was the pleasure of having her muscles, which were all cramped up after the intense fights she had today, loosen up due to the heat of the water. She had to actively resist the temptation of falling asleep multiple times. After a while, as she nearly succumbed to the temptation, she decided to start a conversation with Akeno, seeing as she seemed to have the same problem.

"So, Akeno, what exactly were you doing with ´Mister Samurai´ while nobody was watching?" she asked, a teasing, yet curious tone in her voice. She did always try to tease her Queen, however, she seemed to have no shame whatsoever. It was basically impossible to see her flustered, and even then, it was because she was torturing a new victim and enjoying it. One day, though, she would manage to tease her best friend. This time, as usual, it didn´t work, only eliciting a short giggle from her friend.

"Oh, and why would you like to know, my dear Rias? Could it be that you… _like him more than you should?"_ she answered, the last bit being whispered into her ear, causing Rias to shudder. She kept her composure despite this, thankful that she was already red because of the hot spring, and pressed further:

"No, Akeno, I do not like him in that way. I barely even know him. Hell, I don´t even know how he sounds like! I´m just wondering because you two were gone for quite a while, and knowing you, you tried to prank him. So, tell me what happened." Akeno sighed. Usually, this would always at least cause Rias to be slightly flustered, but in this instance, it seemed she would not accept any jokes about a relationship with this man, probably because she knew more about the man and sympathized with him.

Oh well. She didn´t want to talk about it. She herself respected the man for acting so mature when she tried to seduce him, and yet she was slightly miffed to not have at least embarrassed him a tiny bit. He was the first to ever resist her charm, but she would not give up. She needed to see him flustered, at least once. The strongest ones are the most satisfying to break, after all.

"You´re right, I did try to prank him. And he was _quite_ forward. His skills are extraordinary." She answered her friend, who just sighed. Rias knew exactly that Akeno was rejected. If a man actually fell for it, she would simply say it. She was simply avoiding the subject. It was all she needed to know. She changed the subject and they chatted about more trivial things.

In another corner of the bath sat Koneko and Asia, who had heard the exchange as Koneko was washing the Bishop´s back. As they didn´t know the Queen as well as their master, they believed the story, causing Asia to look on in jealousy as the two friends talked, their assets bouncing all over the place. She then looked down at her body, and started shaking a bit as she noticed just how…underdeveloped she really was. She knew Issei adored big breasts, and that was the one thing she couldn´t give him.

"Just endure it" said the Rook, causing her to turn around in confusion. She then gasped as she realized that her friend had it even worse. She was practically a plain compared to those mountains over in the other bath. "One day, we´ll show them. Those who are more fortunate, and the perverts who worship them." They looked each other in the eyes, and nodded. The key to defeating a larger foe is allies, and this alliance will be the one to break the reign of the big boobs. The two then simply continued with the bath, their vigor to train renewed.

As Koneko was finishing the cleansing of the blonde´s back, the four girls heard a loud scream from the other side of the wall. They turned around in wonder. What on earth were the boys doing?

"HELP! KIBA! MAKE HIM LET GO! KIBA! ANYONE! NO! LET ME DOWN! AHHHH!"

The next few moments, one could see a human-sized projectile shooting high into the air, perhaps twenty meters or so. Then, it started to dawn on that that thing was going to land in the pool in which Rias and Akeno were lying in. They quickly jumped out, grabbing a towel to hide their bodies. The other two quickly followed their lead, though, infuriatingly enough, they had much less trouble, as the two ´mature´ ones had to actively hold the towel to make sure it didn´t fall off.

In the next instant, there was a huge splash, big enough to basically count as a quick shower, causing them to flinch a bit. After the rain had subsided, they looked at the surface of the water, waiting for whoever was launched to get out. A second later, a spiky brown haired head exited the water, gasping for air. After he caught his breath, he looked up, and gulped. The girls were staring at him and though their bangs covered their eyes.

"Issei. Why are you here?" said the King, her voice stoic. He quickly climbed out of the water, and prostrated himself before them. "I`M SORRY! BUT WHAT COULD I DO?! I WAS THROWN BY THAT WEIRDO OVER HERE FOR NO REASON!"

He had his eyes closed. This was usually not how he acted when he was caught peeking, but this time, he didn´t even do that! And besides, it was the truth. He would beat that bastard later. Because this was the worst prank ever. As he was entertaining these thoughts, he noticed someone snickering, and looked up again. Rias and Akeno were visibly holding back laughter, and Asia and Koneko were red in the face, the Rook looking slightly pissed off as she walked toward him.

The girl now towered above him, cracking her knuckles, making him gulp again. What did he do wrong?! He only spoke the truth! A second passed. Then another. Now she was holding out a hand. Wait, what? Issei blinked. The Rook stood there, holding out a hand to help him stand up. He hesitated for a second, but took it. As he stood, he noticed how Asia´s and Koneko´s faces sported incredibly deep blushes, and his two senpais were visibly restraining themselves to not laugh out loud. Then, something fluffy fell on his face. Confused, he grabbed it, and took it off. It was…a towel? He then noticed that the cloth around his waist seemed to have disappeared. His face rapidly turning red, he slowly looked at the place where his towel had been mere seconds ago.

It was not there. He wanted to just cry out of embarrassment right now. Before he got the opportunity, though, he felt something collide with his chest. It had an incredible force behind it, propelling him far into the mansion´s interior. Before he flew off the second time that evening though, he glanced at Koneko, who looked incredibly embarrassed, yet angry, and he saw her mouth something.

He didn´t have time to think on it, though, mainly due to the poor guy crashing through multiple walls on his little trip, before finally ending up in the field in front of the house. As he lost consciousness, he pieced together what the white haired girl said. "…stupid pervert." Well, even though it was not far from the truth, he was not at fault this time around. But right now, as he heard a familiar, worried voice call out to him, he decided that he needed to sleep, and embraced the darkness.

* * *

After having Issei clothed by Kiba and put to bed, with Asia refusing to leave his side until he had been healed, Rider faced some questions from the rest of the girls, mainly about why he threw the poor guy into their side of the baths. He responded by pressing his eye on the wall, pretending to try and peek. Next, he tapped his ear. This caused them to either giggle, or, in Koneko´s case, look at him in spite.

"Alright, but we now have a problem." Rias said, catching the attention of everyone present. "Mainly because Koneko managed to destroy her own room´s bed with that punch." Nobody said a thing, and the white haired girl just froze, eyes widened. She knew there were no other bed rooms in the mansion, meaning she would have to share it with someone. She shot a pleading look at her master, who just angrily shook her head. "Sorry, but you got yourself in this mess. Your punishment: you must sleep with a man in the room for the rest of the week. It´s time you got over your hate for men. And as for Asia, she can sleep on the boy´s couch, considering how dearly she holds Issei. So, you should be able to guess with whom you´re sharing a room for a while."

Oh, she knew. And she hated it. She turned around slowly, and looked at her new roommate, who stared right back at her. Her intense glare was met with a neutral expression. The Rook then stopped glaring, after realizing that it would not get him to react in any way, and walked right past him, feeling that his gaze never left her.

Rider sighed. Well, it kind of was his fault that this happened, but he didn´t get why the girl apparently disliked him so much. Was it something he said? Wait, he never said anything. Was she angry because he sent a pervert into her bath? Well, he could apologize for that, but he somehow doubted that that was all there was to it. He gave a wave to his two trainees before following the miffed Rook, just barely missing the words that were spoken right after by Rias and Akeno.

"Do you really think that this was a good idea? Don´t you think you´re rushing her a little bit?" said the raven haired devil, sending a worried look down the hallway Rider went down. Rias sighed. "Perhaps. But you cannot deny that she has had quite a long time to get over it. It´s time she learned that not all men are perverted pigs. And this will be the perfect opportunity. Besides, considering that your prank failed, I just know that you´ll try something in the night. She is there to make sure that he doesn´t destroy the other half of this place. Urgh, I´ll have to tell my brother to send someone over to fix it tomorrow. Anyway, come on. And stop drooling. You´re supposed to be the sadist."

This snapped her friend out of her trance, and the Queen blushed slightly. This was the first man whom she actually respected, and the first whom she wouldn´t mind to give the lead to. In truth, she would have enjoyed to take her kohai´s place, but her King´s orders were absolute. She would have to wait for another chance. Next time, she´ll get him. After all, in the end, men always succumbed to their instincts if they were pushed far enough. She giggled. The times to come would definitely be interesting.

Rider entered his room, where his roommate had not yet arrived, due to her having to collect her stuff and bring it here. He decided that he might as well read to pass the time, and sat down on the couch. Yep, most certainly, this was his favorite piece of furniture in the whole house. It was just that comfortable. He would have to take it back to the Free World once he could. He opened the book where he left off, and let himself indulge once again in his fantasies.

A while later, the door opened, and Koneko entered, a big backpack on her shoulders which was just small enough to fit through the door. She sighed, and looked around. She spotted the stranger on the couch, reading a manga. Weird. If he was an alien, could he even read? She shook her head. That was not important right now. She walked toward a big closet which stood next to the bed, and started filling her clothes in. All the while, she had her ears peeled. This was a man, after all, and he might just think that he can have his way with her because he´s that much stronger.

They were all the same. They worshipped the ones who were gifted with a mature body, and either ignored her or made her dress up like a doll. Nobody actually thought of her as a girl. This man was no different. She had heard the conversation in the bath, and it was crystal clear that he gave in to her senpai´s charms. She finished arranging her clothes, and turned around. Yep, still reading. If he even could.

She clenched her fists. It was like she didn´t even exist! Whatever. As long as he was not looking, she might as well put on her nightwear. She got her pajamas out of her bag, and went behind a folding screen standing in the corner, a beautiful depiction of two yokai duking it out. One looked like a three-eyed, bipedal raven, and the other was a nine-tailed fox with golden fur. If she recalled correctly, they were called Tenma something-something and the Ninetails. Yeah, one was more creative than the other.

She shook her head, and started changing. She took off her school uniform, which had always been her favorite attire, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She really did look like a child. It really pained her to see herself like this. When would she finally grow up? She was a really late bloomer, as some liked to say, but this was absolutely ludicrous. Her growth spurt might never happen at this rate. Would she always be alone? Was this her fate? To always remain a child? She shook her head violently. No, she shouldn´t even dare think about that. One day, she would show them. But until then, she would have to bide her time.

She finished changing, and stepped out from behind the folding screen, hanging her uniform in the closet as she passed it. Then, the Rook heard a weird noise. It was like someone was whacking a cushion or something. She looked at Rider, who had finished the book and was now patting the seat next to him, beckoning her to sit there. She blinked. Did he know that she was there all along? Well, it did not matter. If he tried anything, she could always call for help.

As she sat down, she took in his features for the first time. All the other times met they didn´t exactly have time to ´talk´, so this is the first time she actually realized that he was someone who had been scarred quite a bit in his long life, mainly due to his eyes. They were always wary and weary, but remained clear as the sea. In fact, he looked quite handsome for his age. Koneko almost got a slight tinge of red in her face upon that realization, but she managed to suppress it. He was a man. She knew how people, no, beasts were. If they looked good, they would use it to mislead and abuse you. And if they didn´t have the looks, they´ll simply try to take you by force. But she was stronger than all of them. And looks no longer fooled her. They would never be able to harm her again.

They observed each other for a while, before Rider made a move. He pointed at her, then pointed at the bed, then the couch, causing her to tense. Was he asking where he should force himself on her? Well, she would not allow it. Rider saw her get tense, and sighed. He was just asking where she wanted to sleep. So he made the same motions, but he opened the book from before and showed her the page on which the protagonist was sleeping. Koneko blinked. Wait, that was it? Only sleeping arrangements? Well, in that case, she obviously wanted the bed. So she stood up, and walked over to it. She turned around to look at him, knowing he would not allow it. Funnily enough, his expression seemed to soften after her choice. He lay down on the couch, and gave a small wave before closing his eyes.

The Rook was confused. Why was he okay with this? And why did he not act like Issei would? All men are perverts, so why was this one so…levelheaded? It must be a ruse. He wants to lull her into a sense of security, and then pounce her when she least expects it. Like tomorrow, when they train. But the joke is on him. She would be prepared. And so, Koneko went to bed, and sighed as her back hit the covers. These beds were the softest thing she ever slept on. She fell to sleep immediately after, unlike Rider, who, as a responsible adult, remembered that the lights were still on.

He turned them off, and let his armor light up in a dim shade of blue. He went back to the couch, and draped his jacket over his feet. He hated the cold. His thoughts then drifted back to the conversation a minute ago. That girl was wary of him for some reason. Probably because he was a killing machine. But honestly, he couldn´t care less about killing these people. Their leader seemed to understand his plight, and they would help each other with their problems. But this girl needed to trust him, and soon if she wanted him to help her train for the battle coming up. What to do…and so, Rider fell asleep soon after, leaving his brooding until morning.

 **Well, you know the drill by now. Chapter´s done, if you thought it was bad in some cases, leave a review, if you liked it, leave one as well. Trust me, they help me out a LOT. So, with that said, have a nice day. Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sup, dudes and dudettes? I´m back with a new chapter, and trust me, this one will blow. Your. Mind(it won´t). Anyways, on to the reviews(scratch the s, there is only one.)!**

 **Goldenclaw: Nice to see you again, and thank you for reviewing once again. Yeah, character development is important, so I hope this isn´t too boring. I´ll try to keep the training segment as short as possible, I don´t want this to drag on forever(get it? It´s funny cos Issei is so weak and it´ll take forever for him to master his dragon power), after all. Anyway, seeing as you liked the bit about the armour, you´ll enjoy the ending of this one.**

 **Now that the formalities are out of the way, let´s get right back to where we left off!**

 _It hurt so badly. He had been whipping her for ages now. She was screaming, but no one heard her. The damp stone walls absorbed her screams, letting them echo into nothingness. He struck her again, and she screamed again. This was unbearable. She had only made the tiniest mistake, and this was how he treated her? Did she really deserve this? It didn´t matter anymore. She just wanted the pain to stop. But he made sure to keep her awake, the sweet embrace of the dark being ripped from her once again. He just wouldn´t stop. She stopped screaming. It would just encourage him to hurt her more. The whip cracked again, and she felt the bloodstream on her back getting thicker. At this rate, she would bleed out. She prayed to whatever merciful deity existed out there to make it stop, tears flowing freely down her face. She knew that she did not deserve this. And in that moment, she heard him scream, and felt liquid splash onto her back. Finally, she let the darkness envelop her, just barely catching a familiar, worried voice speaking to her._

" _It´s alright now. Because I´m here."_

Koneko shot up in her bed. She was sweating heavily, and gasped for air. After a while, she calmed down, and wiped away the tears. Just how long had this memory been haunting her? She lost count of the years a long time ago. She rested her head on the pillow. She would definitely not get any sleep tonight. She sighed, and looked through the window. The moon was illuminating the whole valley, it´s light looking like it was floating above the forest, making for a gorgeous sight.

She noticed that her vision was slightly obscured by something. It seemed like a tree, but it looked like it had arms, and was in front of the window. Also, it was moving. She caught on pretty quickly, and realized that it was her roommate, and she giggled silently. His hair actually looked like the foliage of a tree with this lighting. She regained her composure, and observed the man. What was he doing up at this hour? Had he planned to violate her, but gave up as she awoke? That must be it. He was a man, after all.

He turned around, causing her to tense up. What would he do? She knew that he was aware of her being awake. He walked slowly toward her, making sure to not make a sound. She nearly snorted. Just how stupid did he think she was? Or did she give him to much credit, and he didn´t hear her awakening? Well, no matter. She would defend herself if he tried anything. No, WHEN he tried something. She was poised to attack, as he drew closer and closer.

Then he laid down on the couch. She blinked. Wait, what? Did he really just completely ignore her? Did he really not care? No, this must be a trick to lure her into a false sense of security. She unconsciously let a smirk form on her face. No man would ever trick her. She then made herself comfortable once again, and fell asleep with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Rider sighed; the night was beautiful. He did not manage to sleep, his thoughts were keeping him up the whole time. So he decided to just enjoy the view of this place. Halfway through, he heard a weird noise, but he was too tired and too enraptured with the picture this place named Earth had shown him to really care. It was probably the only the girl stirring in her sleep or something. He wondered if there were sights just as or even more beautiful than this one. If they existed, he wanted to see them. Imagining fantastical wonders, he fell asleep.

Koneko awoke with a yawn to a brightly lit room. She wiped the fluid from her eye, and stretched herself, cracking a few bones into place. No matter how comfortable the bed was, nothing beat the feeling of having those areas relax after cracking the bones. She sighed in bliss, and got out of bed. She would have to get dressed. Training will begin shortly, and no matter how disgusting the trainer may be, she respected his might, and needed to get stronger. To protect the one person who stood to her when the rest of the world wanted her dead, and gave her a home. Even if said person was the sworn enemy of the alliance she forged yesterday.

She disappeared behind the folding screen, but not before checking for her roommate first. He was nowhere to be seen. Good. She checked the area behind the screen, and he was not there either. Even better. She quickly switched into her gym clothes, consisting of a small beige T-Shirt and a pair of red bloomers. She threw her pyjamas onto the folding screen, and looked at herself in the mirror. Yep, everything still fit. Still no growth spurt. She sighed. She walked out into the open, and was greeted with an empty room. He must be outside.

She exited the mansion, and sure enough, there he stood, staring off into the distance, a wistful look on his face. She approached him silently. She wanted to get started with training as soon as possible, and the others would take too long. She poked him, catching his attention, though he seemed a bit annoyed.

"I want to train. The others will take too long. Give me something to do." She said curtly, making the mild annoyance Rider´s face dissipate. Oh, that he could provide. In great quantity. He signalled for her to stay in place, and drew his gun. He knew that the stun shots would come in handy when he built it. He pressed the button on the back of the barrel to activate the non-lethal projectiles, and aimed at Koneko. This would not hurt a lot, but it would paralyze her for a while if she got hit.

Meanwhile, the girl was bewildered. Was he trying to kill her? It was obvious that she was supposed to train her dodging skills, but this was a bit overkill. However, she calmed down a second later after thinking it through. He might be a perverted beast, but he knew what he was doing in fights, and from what she had heard, in training. She decided to trust him for now and assume that he had somehow activated a stun mode on his gun or something like that. But then, it dawned onto her just why he did it. It was so obvious, too. He was a perverted beast, after all. He would paralyze her, and then abuse her. Well, she would just dodge everything in that case.

She got into her stance, and waited for the first shot to fire. Nothing happened for a few seconds. To the two, it felt like hours as they stared each other down. Then, he pulled the trigger, aiming at her leg. She sidestepped it gracefully, but didn´t have any time to celebrate her success. Rider was unleashing a huge barrage of bullets, each of them as big as a fist, and they flew at the maximum air speed velocity of a swallow. If it´s an African or a European swallow, I don´t know.

Anyhow, she dodged deftly from side to side, her movements precise, but she knew that she couldn´t keep this up. In fact, she felt the strain growing to the point where it became unbearable already, after nary a minute had passed. But that´s what training is all about, isn´t it? It´s about pushing your limits until you break them. And if at first you don´t succeed, you try again and again until you do. And so, with renewed vigor, she danced around the shots, never losing her balance, and never giving in to the pain.

And so, this session continued on, the gunshots echoing off the mountains, and silencing the chirping of the birds, which had already dispersed a while ago. Nothing seemed to be able to bring a stop to this; Koneko was determined enough to continue on for a long time, and Rider essentially had an infinite amount of bullets in his gun. But then, the girl´s concentration was broken after jumping to a relatively big height, maneuvering through the use of her wings. She heard someone call out to her, and turned her head toward the sound. It was Akeno. So they were awake. Training could finally start, then. Then she realized her error, and turned around, just in time.

To get hit straight in the chest, knocking the air out of her lungs. She gasped for air, and staggered backward. These bullets really packed a punch. Was this really just a stunning shot? She felt herself falling backward, and cursed herself. She should have known better than to get distracted. She braced herself for the impact. Just as she was about to hit the floor, though, she felt a pair of hands grab her, stopping her fall.

She blinked. Once, twice, and a third time, to make sure she wasn´t seeing things. She was being held bridal style by her teacher, who had a smile on his face. Not a cocky or smug one, but a genuine, proud smile a father would have. She blushed. He looked even better up close. She quickly shook her head. No, this was wrong. He was trying to trick her. She shouldn´t believe him. And yet, it felt…right to be held like this. It was every girl´s dream to find their knight in shining armour, after all. Even someone as realistic and distrusting as Koneko had such fantasies.

Though that didn´t stop her from slapping the man across the face, however, he didn´t drop her, as some might think. No, he lowered her to the ground, his proud smile replaced with a puzzled, and somewhat angry expression. He showed her that he was impressed by her capabilities, and stopped her from hurting herself, and this is how she thanks him? He sighed. This one really didn´t trust him, eh? Well, it wouldn´t matter in the long run. She knew how to separate private thoughts from training, so her progress would not be impeded by their rocky relationship.

After their little bout, the others arrived, all dressed up in gym clothes, the girls wearing bloomers and a T-shirt, similar to Koneko, though they all were coloured differently. Issei and Kiba wore similar clothing, a simple combo of T-shirt and shorts. There was a bit of bickering between the Queen and the Rook, but calmed down after being scolded by Rias.

As they all gathered around Rider for instructions of their first real day of training, he looked at all of them, one by one. He had already taken a long look around the area, so he knew a good place to run to. However, he questioned whether they could handle it. So he pointed at the peak of the smallest mountain in the area, and held up a clock which he had changed the time on to show them when how much time they had to get there. They grasped the concept immediately, then they all gulped simultaneously.

They only had an hour. And that mountain looked like it was more than just a few miles away. Timidly, Asia raised her hand. "Um, p-pardon my asking, b-but what happens if we don´t make it on t-time?" She asked, making Rider chuckle, which sent a shudder down her spine. He then pointed at the neighboring mountain, and tapped the clock. They suddenly all regretted asking him to train them. But they quickly abandoned the thought. This would make them strong, strong enough to topple the Phenex heir. With this mentality, they followed Rider, who had already taken off, at a rather moderate speed, though it was still pretty quick to the naked eye.

They walked over stick and stone, scraping their legs on the overgrown path every so often, but they perservered. Soon, the end was in sight. The summit was so close. But it was then that the lack of training caught up to the two older girls and the two newbies. They just weren´t used to this amount of exercise. They were about to give up, but just before they did, the two remaining devils picked them up, and carried them a bit, long enough for them to recover. These two were of course Kiba and Koneko, the two with the best skillset for this kind of exercise. After the others had recovered, they quickly caught up to Rider, who had been waiting patiently for them to follow. He turned around, and sped off again. They looked at each other, and nodded. He was believing in them. And they would not disappoint him. They took off with more energy than ever, forgetting their exhaustion that held them back.

Finally, after a long struggle, they reached the top, where Rider was already waiting for them, the sun behind him. They looked at him in awe. He looked like he was God or someone who had just become the ultimate lifeform and could now resist the rays of the sun. Or something like that. He then beckoned them to sit on a nearby set of rocks, and turned around to take in the view. This was the actual reason he wanted to come here. This place, where he could just watch the world without the rot he caused, a place where he could feel truly free, unburdened by his problems.

Naturally, his students didn´t exactly appreciate the peak as much as he did, for they were mainly glad that they got to rest after this torture. However, when he looked at them with a proud smile, they cheered up. He was holding up the clock, and was giving them a thumbs-up. They had done it. Though what they did not know, is why Rider specifically chose a route which he knew they couldn´t manage. He wanted them to know one thing for certain: no matter how rough it would get, they would always have each other to rely on. If one couldn´t handle the task at hand, another of them would be able to help. That is a luxury on the battlefield, and he wanted to remind them of that.

After all, he himself never had anyone to cover his back. Sure, the rabbit might have provided him with information about his opponents, but that wasn´t the same. The rabbit never fought himself, but left that to Rider. Even if he was not a fighter, it would have been a nice gesture to at least use the gun in his sleeve once in a while.

As he was thinking about that, he felt something press against him. It was big, soft, and there was two of it. He looked down, and saw a ridiculous amount of cleavage. He blinked, once, twice, and looked at the face attached to the breasts. Surprise, surprise, it was Akeno, who had a seductive smile coupled with a deep red tinge on her cheeks gracing her face.

"Oh my, you´re quite the romantic, aren´t you? And a rather handsome one, at that. You should smile more often. It makes you look much better. And that might just help" she said, slowly closing the gap between their faces, making Rider slightly uncomfortable. " _if you want to score with the ladies._ " She finished in a whisper, though it was loud enough for everyone else to hear, her face closing in even further.

Issei immediately recorded it in his ´seduction handbook´ he kept in his mind, for later use as the Harem King. Asia just blushed, mainly because she wasn´t quite used to her senior´s ´open´ personality. Kiba was just enjoying the show, chuckling quietly, while Rias was giggling rather loudly, enjoying her friend´s new obsession of sorts. Koneko, however, was just sighing. There, now one of the ´Goddesses of Kuoh´ was trying to seduce him and it would not take long before he ended like all the other perverts, drooling, ensnared by her body. What a shame. When he would inevitably drop his façade, she would lose all respect she had for him as a warrior. She was actually starting to like him for his harsh, but thoughtful training, being the only one to grasp the reason for the long run, even though he was a man.

As everyone was occupied with their thoughts, Akeno simply widened her smile. It wouldn´t take long now. With these sensations, his calm, collected façade would crumble. After all, no man actually was this collected. Heck, even if he only as much as blushed, she would count is as a victory. As long as he lost his composure, she would have broken his mask. If he responded to her attempt to kiss, then she would immediately turn away. That would destroy his self-confidence, which would be all the more satisfying. She leaned in closer to his face, though his eyes were covered by his absurdly long hair, making her unable to judge his reaction.

Well, it didn´t matter. She closed her eyes, and leaned in further. She could already feel his breath on her face. Weirdly enough, it was just as slow as it was when he slept in the field. In fact, she was starting to get aroused by this herself. Who wouldn´t really? She was about to kiss quite a handsome man, who seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Her breathing accelerated. She wasn´t sure if she wanted to pull away anymore. Her face sped forward, wanting to see this through.

Only to kiss thin air. Confused, she looked around. Rider was standing behind her, a smirk on his face, slowly wagging his finger, clicking his tongue. She had been had. He waited for the last moment, and then dashed behind her. What a prankster. But that only intensified her desire to tease him. She took a bit to regain her composure, and smiled.

"Quite the prankster, aren´t you? Well, this isn´t over yet. Not until I´m satisfied." She said, folding her arms beneath her breasts. Rider simply shrugged, and picked up the clock he dropped in surprise before. He tapped it again, and pointed at the house, then pointed at her. The Queen suddenly started feeling a tad nauseous as he ran off. In desperation, she looked at her fellow trainees, who simply walked down the mountain, grinning, trying to hold back their laughter, especially a certain Rook, who was immensely satisfied by Akeno, the girl who always got any man she wanted, get dumped. Her respect for Rider grew a fair bit. As it turned out, he might not just be a pervert after all.

Rider, in the meantime, had actually already arrived back at the mansion, and sat back down in his room. He had time before the others came back, and he needed to figure out how to punish the Queen once she came back late. Besides, why was she so forward toward him? He wasn´t exactly someone the women chased after, so why was this girl so obsessed with him? Well, it didn´t matter. She was mainly teasing him, so he gave her a taste of her own medicine. He was only glad that the sunlight obscured their vision enough to not notice that his armour was actually glowing a bit pink when he ran back. Chuckling to himself, he opened the book. His stay on this planet would be entertaining, that´s for sure.

 **And thus, this chapter ends. It was really fun to write this one, I must say. Well, I guess you know the drill by now. Leave a review if you want to, and follow me on Twitter thisisajoke and on Instagram don´tgooglethat, and I hope to see you in the next chapter. Bye!**

 **HA! YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS OVER, BUT IT WAS ME, DI- wait, wrong meme. Anyways, I did say that it would be obvious in the last chapter as to who would contest for Rider´s affections, so, leave a review to tell me who you think will be part of his harem. Alright, now you can leave. Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Didn´t take a decade to write this one for once. Welcome back to a new, and improved (Editor: improved from what?) chapter of this story! But before we get to the juicy stuff, reviews!**

 **CrowSkull: Thank you for reviewing. It´s always nice to see a new face in the reviews. Anyway, I wrote Rider to look old due to the many, many rings under his eyes. They make him look much older than he actually is, and that just kind of dictated how I perceive him. As for his hair, it is silly enough to be used as a joke often enough. Letting them touch it though, I might do that. It´s silly enough to be incorporated as part of the gag. You might want to watch the anime though, it helps further down the road. Also, as for that f*cking asshole of a boss, I doubt I can bring him in, seeing as he is not really, well, canon. So while he is ridiculously powerful, I can´t bring him into the mix. I already know which enemies to pick for our non-generic protagonist, though. Just trust me on this one.**

 **blessingpilot4: Nice to see you again, and thank you for reviewing. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, expect more of it to come soon.**

 **Anon(1): Thanks for reviewing, and following my suggestion! It doesn´t matter if you liked the show or not, because I´ll try to deviate from the path of the real thing as much as possible. Heck, I haven´t even seen season 3! Actually, I might have to get back to that later today. Anyways, I hope to see you next time, and I´ll try to not drag this part of the story out too much.**

Rias, Kiba and Koneko were heading down the hallway toward Rider´s room, after all, they may have just gotten back from the mountain, but that didn´t mean that their motivation had deteriorated in any way. They still wanted to get stronger, and what they´d done this morning was barely a warmup. They had a bit of smaltalk on the way, mainly about Koneko´s experiences in sharing a room with their eccentric trainer. She just replied with a huff, he was a man after all. Even if he did ignore Akeno´s advances, which surprised the Rook still to no end and earned him a smidge of respect, she still didn´t trust him. Not expecting that answer, her master burst out into laughter, stating that that little prank would cost him dearly. He was the new target of the sadistic Queen now, and she would never give up pursuing him, and Rias knew that their quarrels would be amusing the devils for quite a while.

Speaking of Akeno, through some miracle -not the warping magic sort- she managed to get back on time, which would no doubt greatly disappoint Rider, but she was so exhausted that she couldn´t even teach Asia and Issei about magic for a while, so the two watched over her, Asia healing her to speed up the process of recovery, and Issei doing what he usually does. Basically, stare at Akeno´s tits.

When the trio arrived at his door, they knocked, and waited for a while. Soon enough, the resident opened the door, and they asked him who would spar with who, to which he responded by closing the door, grabbing Kiba´s arm, and pulling him outside, which left the remaining devils quite dumbfounded, before they giggled mirthfully as the swordsman struggled to stay on his feet, and for the first time, the Knight showed an awkward expression as he sweatdropped. The fact that he was no longer as calm and collected as before and Rider was VERY forceful in his actions made the girls laugh even harder, even more so as Rias did the wolf whistle just as they turned the corner at the end of the hall.

Koneko knew that he may be a monster, especially in battle, but that didn´t mean she couldn´t get some enjoyment out of his quirky nature. Rias, on the other hand, was surprised at her servant´s comfort around the man. She didn´t expect him to have gotten partway through her shell so quickly. Normally, she would never show this side of hers around a man. It made the King happy that she was starting to get over her trauma. What Rias didn´t know, was that most of that comfort stemmed from Rider´s denial of Akeno´s advances, which meant that the ´Goddesses´ had failed to tame a man, which Koneko had been dreaming about for ages. Quite the irony, isn´t it?

Truth be told, Rider had been getting bored, having finished the whole book, and staring at the same scenery for the whole day. It wasn´t all too thrilling, really. And he missed having the exciting swordfights he used to have back in the Hive, though they were not nearly as grandiose as the one against the Edge. That one battle was disappointingly short, but it was the one time his blood was truly boiling with excitement. And he would get this boy to that level, so he could at least once more enjoy that rush before he left forever.

After having dragged the poor bastard into the fields behind the manor once again, Rider let go of his arm and walked away a few paces from the teen. He drew his sword, and his student did the same, after fixing his hair that was messed up a bit from that wild ride. They each entered their stance, and slowly started circling each other, waiting for the other to make a move. No sound could be heard, only the wind howling through the valley, making the grass flow, like waves in the ocean.

"Here I go, Sensei." Said Kiba, and charged forward with blinding speed, Rider following suit, and they clashed. Their blades sparked as they grinded against each other, the force of it pushing their feet into the ground, burying them deeper and deeper as they stared each other in the eyes. This was not a mere battle of strength. In this battle, what counted was the psyche, they had to outwit each other. Rider needed to train him, after all, and just wiping the floor with the boy with his superior strength and speed wasn´t going to make him any stronger. Besides, he needed to get a proper feel of the Knight´s intellect, as that was the most important weapon of a swordsman. No blade is sharper than the one of the mind, and a dull mind makes the sharpest of blades completely useless.

Their contest finally ended as Kiba found an opening, and ducked underneath Rider´s blade to kick his legs, forcing him to jump to avoid it, only to realize that this was a trap. No one can navigate in the air, except perhaps the Song and the devils, which made it all the more painful when Rider was kicked into the air, where the boy swiftly pursued him and unleashed a devastating swing with a huge sword he created while he flew. This swing missed Rider by a hair, as he blocked it with his sword, and then proceeded to grab onto the sword with his feet, rendering it useless, and giving him a golden opportunity to strike, which he used to slice at his opponent´s arms, though he missed due to his speed.

The sword was about to impact on the earth once again, but Rider jumped off and landed safely a few feet away from it, the blade vanishing in the air. The boy now wielded a different sword, a katana that had a red, metallic blade, a few sparks crackling up and down from it. Rider prepared himself for the inevitable clash. Kiba was out of breath already. This man was a true genius when it came to adapting to unexpected events, but he had a crucial weak point. He could not move in the air whatsoever, but Kiba could due to his wings. As long as he kept his opponent in the air and did not use a greatsword which was too slow to effectively punish him. So, obviously, he switched to his Muramasa, which was fast enough to hit Rider, but also boasted the thickness needed to put a big amount of force behind his swings.

The Knight wasted no time and sped downward, straight for Rider, who had buried his legs a few feet in the ground, and angled his sword for an uppercut that would send his adversary flying, and give him the victory. Rider in turn adjusted his posture to be able to withstand such a hit, seeing through the plan, and lowered his sword to the level of his waist, holding it in one hand, confusing his student. If he took this hit, he would lose. Why in the name of Gremory would he not aim for a more stable grip on his weapon?

As Kiba drew close, he realized his teacher´s intentions, and tried to halt the flight, however, he was already at top speed, and thus collision was inevitable. Rider now gripped his sword in both hands and delivered a single, strong slice. The next second, Kiba hit the floor, shooting dust everywhere. Then, for a moment, there was only silence. Rider sheathed his sword as Kiba´s hit the ground next to him. He then walked over to his fallen student and extended a hand, which the boy gratefully accepted.

"You really are amazing, Sensei. I would have never thought that you would bluff like that. I guess knowing about your gun really was my downfall, huh?" the Knight said, his trademark smile back on his face. Rider nodded, though he was irritated that the boy always wore this annoying smile. It would not fool him, he could tell it was fake, hiding something from him, something dark, and only idiots or blind people would not see this.

"Anyway, we have time to spare, and I need to rest a bit. I want to know more about you. Tell me how you became so strong. I need to know." Kiba stated, making Rider nod. This boy had a goal, and he needed to be strong to fulfil it, he could tell. He didn´t inquire as to what the nature of said goal was, as it was up to the devil to tell him. And so, he explained his life to him. How one day, he just woke up as he was and slowly, over time, learned how to fight, how to use the power of the genes within him to kill. He was a natural, even amongst all the clones. It was weird, even to him that while he trained it felt like he had been a warrior for a long time already, like riding a bicycle after not using it for a few years. He didn´t pay it much heed, though. It must be the genes, the DNA of the greatest warrior to ever live in the history of the Hive´s history. At least, in the history before the Great Impact.

It destroyed everything, and so the remnants of the once great civilization were left to roam the universe, searching for planets to settle on, and conquer them with their mighty army. They had searched for ages, freezing the ready fighters until they found lands suited to settle on. The first place they found, after millennia of searching, was the Free World. Naturally, the Hive sent its most powerful Rider, and the rest of the story was already known to the peerage. He got captured, locked up, and broke free after a long time of torment, after which he even managed to break free from the Hive´s influence, which got him into his current predicament.

As he ´told´ his story, Kiba asked questions rather frequently to aid his interpretation, but soon, his inquiries started to drift from the subject at hand and more toward what Rider thought of his students. He mainly asked about his teacher´s opinion on his student´s strength as of now, and if he had any idea as to how he would improve their skills far enough to deal with the larger, better equipped enemy.

Rider sighed, he had hardly a clue. From what he could tell, he could simply spar with the young Knight like this, seeing as swordfights were their specialty, but training Rias and Akeno would be a challenge. Mainly because he, well, did not use any sodding magic, and he also had to get over his issues with the Queen, seeing as she had a tendency to fool around when he was near her, and he sincerely hoped that she didn´t keep this up in training, otherwise he swore to the Majestic Crab Gods that pulled the strings of fate, he would make her run to the highest peak in the vicinity and back ten times. With a fair time limit specifically made for her, taking all of her skills into account. So, since she could teleport, she would have about a minute or two. Oh, and he wouldn´t allow magic.

He was getting off topic. Issei would be trained psychologically, seeing as that was his biggest downfall –or uprising, depending if you´re talking about battle or other things- and just needed to have some basics drilled into his skull. Koneko was a melee fighter, so he could simply spar with her, no weapons. What part of her fighting needed improvement could be then targeted better by Rider, though the matter of trust between the two remained a big issue. And then there was his biggest worry, Asia. She had no combat skills, was essentially a nurse, and was generally unfit for any physically demanding matters. He truly had no idea as to how to handle her training. He would probably condition her to at least be able to flee properly, if she had to retreat from behind enemy lines.

But improving her utility in combat was nigh on impossible for him. That was left up to the Queen, someone whom he didn´t exactly trust to teach an innocent girl like Asia anything. Especially if said girl´s crush was in the same room. Oh god. Would she actually seduce the boy right in front of the poor Bishop´s eyes? He wouldn´t put it past the sadist. He quickly said a prayer to the Majestic Crab Gods. But the boy was not yet satisfied.

"Interesting. Now, what is your actual opinion about us, Sensei? Not our skills, but our character." He said, crossing his arms. Rider blinked a few times. How was he supposed to answer that? He liked all of them in a way, if you discount his issue with the Queen, and yet, he never really thought about why he did. The easiest one to figure out the answer for was Asia, no doubt. She was an adorable angel, mainly due to her always being honest, clutzy, and so damn innocent it hurt at times. She was like the little sister he never had. Maybe that´s why he felt the need to lock her up somewhere where no one could harm her. He would protect her from all evil in the world. Mainly perverts. Wait, that´s not quite right. Mainly Issei. Why was her crush the biggest pervert in the world? Rider sighed, and he swore that he just heard someone sneezing from the manor. Weird.

The pervert himself, with all due respect, was a pitiful human being, simply following what the brain in his pants deems right. Though Rider was unsure if that first impression was really true. Issei clearly cared deeply about his friends, wanting to become strong enough to fight on their level and even punching the pig of a man together with him, but he had his insecurities. Rider would have to fix those, but if he did, would it help the boy grow, or would it result in the boy becoming overconfident and fully giving in to his perversion? And Rider would hate having to destroy Asia´s heart by causing her crush to become a disgusting beast. So, after thinking about it, Rider decided to continue the training as he did. He would show him how to fight, and would leave it to his friends to ensure he doesn´t end up on the wrong path.

As for Rias, he had a very clear opinion about her. She was a nice enough person to hang around with, and her looks were always a sight for sore eyes, but the fact remains that she is essentially a slave driver. She enslaves those who have no choice, even if they would probably have accepted if they did, and takes their lives as her own. She then sends them out to battle stray devils, fight in these so-called ´Rating Games´, which he still didn´t know what it was, and assumes that it´s completely fine. That, he cannot forgive. Rider valued freedom above all else, and seeing those without choice having theirs taken away ignited vicious fury within him. Treating them nicely doesn´t change a thing. It´s just swapping out their iron shackles for ones out of wool. Sure, they feel nice, but you still cannot bloody move!

After calming down, he ´talked´ about the swordsman himself. He was a very nice, polite person to be around, but that constant smile was quite aggravating. It just made Rider think that he wasn´t being taken seriously, mainly because he saw right through the boy. He didn´t ask about the secrets the smile hid, but he wanted the Knight to stop trying to fool him. Kiba fell dead silent upon grasping that fact. After a while, he looked up with a far less cheerful, but to Rider´s pleasure, more melancholic smile.

"I guess it was stupid to believe that you wouldn´t see right through me, huh? Well, you´re right. I do have something I hide from the world. It´s the reason why I became a devil, and why I can use swords the way I can. To fulfil this duty I have kept a secret from everyone, except the President of our little club." He said, sighing wistfully at the end. "I´m sorry. But I can´t tell you any more than this. I honestly don´t trust you enough. Please, do not let this interfere with your lessons. Because I won´t, and you´re the one who´s supposed to be the responsible one. But anyway, I know that you´ve avoided talking about two certain individuals until now, and those are the two I´m most curious about. So, spit it out, if you will."

Rider chuckled, yet somehow managed to groan at the same moment. On one hand, he was glad the boy had dropped his mask and yet, he specifically did not want to talk about those two, because they evoked very conflicting emotions, even more so than Issei. Akeno was the bigger problem, seeing as he hadn´t trained with her yet and couldn´t judge her discipline properly. However, even if she was really serious with training herself, she was still a really, _really_ obsessive girl. She saw him fight twice, and already she was all over him, shoving herself onto him regardless it there were others around or not. And while he wasn´t interested in falling prey to her pranks, she was getting more and more bold as time passed, making it more and more difficult to remain as professional as he did. If he showed any embarrassment, he lost, and he hated losing. Though as she tried to kiss him, he felt as if she was doing it for more than just the satisfaction of beating him, but he wasn´t sure. And so, the Queen remained an enigma.

And finally, there was Koneko, his favorite student, and also the one who trusted him the least. But why? He had not done anything wrong, did he? Or was she still mad from having to wait so long back at the church a week ago? No, that couldn´t be it. It would be too stupid to be true. After all, she was his favorite because of how much they had in common. They both were quiet, thoughtful, and tolerated little to no nonsense when they were serious. Also, they both have white hair, though it´s kind of funny how he, the man, had the longer hair of the two. But what he knew with certainty was that not fixing the issue would hinder their partnership, and he needed her trust to cultivate her strength to help get rid of Riser, and he _really_ wanted to take that prick down a peg or two. He decided that after sparring with the girl, he would have an honest talk about it. Even if she didn´t let this interfere with her training, he would prefer to have his kindred spirit of sorts remember him fondly after his departure.

After having explained most of his opinions to Kiba through very complex hand signals coupled with the boy´s creative interpretations, he finally signalled Kiba to stand up. They needed to spar again. He was hungry for another battle, and the boy had had enough rest. Chuckling, he stood up, and readied his Muramasa again. Rider followed suit, and entered his stance once again. The boy simply lacked experience. He would get him to the Edge´s level. And then, he would have a great fight, one for the history books. But right now, he smiled, and dashed forward, clashing swords with the Knight once again, the sounds echoing throughout the valley, until it reached the ears of the two other devils on the other side, who were taking a break from their sparring themselves.

"They´re at it again. Geez, why are boys so competitive?" said Rias, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a towel. "We´re here to train, President. Why should they stop sparring?" answered her Rook, who was looking into the general vicinity of the sounds. "I guess. But we mustn´t push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion. We need to rest too, you know. Training may be about pushing your limits, but you shouldn´t push too far. It only makes you weaker." Rias replied, following the direction of her servant´s look, then grinned teasingly. Knowing that Koneko liked this man, something she thought was impossible, she now had proper ammunition to tease her, and she would not let this opportunity pass by.

"Say, why are you staring so longingly in the direction of our guest?" This caught Koneko´s attention, a singular sweat drop running down her forehead. Damn it. Now that she shared a room with the man, this would be inevitable. Well, everything had a downside. He may be able to out-prank the ´Goddesses´, but this teasing would never stop now. "Could it be that you, my dear, dear Rook… _like him?"_ she drew the last part out as much as possible, which made the petite girl even more uncomfortable. She remained calm, though. "No. Why would you think that?" she responded curtly, her voice not cracking. Disappointed, Rias sighed, and lay her head in the grass. After a while in which the only sound heard was the sounds of battle on the other side of the manor, Rias said something that caught Koneko off guard.

"You know, Koneko, it´s not bad to like a man. You can always like him platonically, and just be his friend. Most men don´t always think about how to rape you at all times. That man was scum. Riser is scum. The boys here are all nice. Sure, Kiba is overly polite and Issei is, well, Issei, but they´re good at heart." Koneko felt that that last bit was mainly meant for the Pawn. "But honestly, I put you in a room with that man to show you that you can live with one without having to fear him. He was nice enough to help us in our time of need, and we can all learn from him. Hell, perhaps he´ll teach Issei to not be as perverted as he is right now." Koneko snorted. That was a good one. "Though I thought you would like him the most out of all of them. You are like two sides of the same coin, I mean, you´re both the silent types, you both hate Akeno´s pranks, and you both hate it when people are foolijng around in a serious situation. So why son´t you give him a chance? I´m sure he would like to get to know you, too." Koneko fell silent. Give him a chance? Give a man a chance? She doubted that anything good could come from this, but…"By the way, that´s an order."

Damn. "Alright, President. I will. Let´s spar again. We´ve been resting too long." Koneko stood up, and walked away from her master until they stood a fair distance apart. And then, with a bang, they started sparring again, their conversation forgotten for the moment. As Koneko dodged her President´s magic, she heard something rather weird. It was a boy, shouting something about a fast break…oh.

" _BREAKFAST IS READY, EVERYONE!"_

 **And thus, chapter 13 ends. Which kind of misery will befall our friends? Probably none, because I don´t write fillers. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are always appreciated. And I sincerely hope to see you again – next time. Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

**HA! Didn´t think I would update so soon, didn´t ya! Ah, this takes me back to the old days…back when I was but a wee lad of sixteen years, and I threw out chapter after chapter in a matter of days…wait. That was literally not even three months ago. Holy crap. Well, that doesn´t matter right now. Because I´m smelling something…do you too? *sniff* Ah, yes. It´s a wild horde of reviews! Crikey!**

 **ultima-owner: Thanks for your review! Well, those kinds of smiles are kind of insulting, to be honest. Though it really just was a way to further our dear (rotten), beloved (hated) Knight´s character (essentially being Lady´s man McGee in the animu). So don't get riled up over it. Though, for some reason, that comparison made me laugh.**

 **Red Diz: Welcome to this wonderful shitshow! I hope you enjoy your stay here, and I hope this chapter is to your liking.**

 **CrowSkull: And of course, the longest review is right before you all hoped to get to the** _ **good stuff**_ **. You dirty minded pervs.**

 **Sorry for misunderstanding you, but it really was weirdly phrased. As for allowing Rider to be ridiculously OP, I am well aware of his true abilities, though I didn´t find the video. I guess I´ll look for it later. Anyway, having the Flame fight him might be a bit difficult, seeing as his battle doesn´t actually take place within the story, so I might not include him. Though you are wrong about only the Flame being a possible enemy for Rider. Read the first chapter again, and you´ll know who I´m talking about. Also, it´s not Bernard. Fuck that guy. In fact, fuck anyone except the Hand and the Chain on Furier. Those are the only two I got S rank for.**

 **Anyway, with my little rant/response session being over, let´s dive right into the plot! No, not that one. The one where we see the actual crossover start taking shape. I got your interest now, don´t I? Let´s a go!**

And so, the gang reassembled in the dining room, taking in the smell of the dishes cooked by the two rookies. There were absolutely wonderful dishes lining the table, though it was really just the way they looked; in the end, it was simple bacon, eggs, and baked beans. But of course, as everyone knows, eggs and baked beans are always a wonderful thing to eat in the morning, and bacon just makes everything better. The group thought so as well, and they dug in, everyone savouring the juicy greatness that was the bacon. Though none of them could keep a smile off their face due to this meal, none of their expressions matched the pure bliss that adorned Rider´s face. It looked like he was a guru who attained true enlightenment or was a pervert who actually got laid.

After they had eaten their breakfast, Rias decided to explain the concept of the Rating Game, seeing as three people present were out of the loop. "Alright, everyone gather around. Since Issei, Asia and our dear ´Mister Samurai´ don´t know about the nature of our battle that´s to come, it might be best if I explain it now. It will also include a bit of the story detailed in the book you were interested in, ´Mister Samurai´, so it would kill two birds with one stone." She said, the last sentence being directed at Rider, who felt the slightest of needs to whack her on the head for teasing him with that damn nickname. He suppressed his urges and listened closely instead, glancing at said book, which was still lying on that shelf, the feeling that it contained something important to him emanating from it, so much so that he began to become a bit restless. Why did it feel so important to know what the book contained?

"So, before the birth of the Rating Games, there was a great war, between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels, which came to be known as the War of three Factions. It lasted seemingly forever, and it only became worse when another group appeared on the battlefield, the dragons, who fought amongst themselves, but their sheer power decimated the other armies as well." Rider got an immense headache upon the mention of these so-called ´dragons´, causing him to rub his forehead a bit, making sure to not show his weakness to the others, lest they interrupt the story, which would keep him from knowing the thing he needed to. "Issei, you should know by now that your Boosted Gear contains the soul of a dragon, correct?"

The boy nodded upon hearing the question, urging her to continue. Rider suddenly felt his headache grow worse upon hearing this fact, and something began to form itself within his mind, though he couldn´t tell exactly what it was. He ignored it, needing to know more about this war that seemed to cause a change in his psyche. He had to figure out why it felt so important to know all this. "Well, that´s because the dragons were eventually bested, and sealed into Sacred Gears, and that victory took a lot out of all armies, devastating the amount of Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils in existence. At this point, they called a truce, and each went back home to lick their wounds. Now, the Devils, who had lost over half of the 72 Pillars, who were basically High-class devils like myself, and a massive amount of their armies that served these Pillars, now had to find another way to battle amongst themselves, which they did mainly for status and the prestige of winning, introduced the Evil Pieces, which turns you Humans into Devils. And so, the Rating Game was born. There are several rules, but the most important part is this: I, the King, like in chess, must not be defeated. If I am defeated, no matter how well the battle is going, we all lose. Conversely, as long as I stand we have a chance to win."

"So that means we have to beat that Riser guy to win the whole thing, right?" Issei said, a slight amount of nervousness in his voice, though whether it came from fear or excitement at the prospect to teach the prick a lesson, Rider did not know. He was still thinking about the headache he had a minute ago, which had subsided the moment the subject had changed to the Rating Game itself, but couldn´t find an answer. He came to the conclusion that the answers he sought could not be found by simply thinking about it. He stared at the book on the shelf. His answers must be hidden within. There is no other way he could figure this one out. He had to read that book. But for now, he pushed those thoughts aside. They could wait. While the feeling was nagging him like crazy, he forcefully pushed down the thoughts, focusing on Rias´ explanation.

"Yes, Issei. You´re correct. The only way to win a Rating Game is to beat the King, meaning we have to beat a High-class devil with a near perfect win record, and those defeats were the battles he lost on purpose. Anyway, the whole thing will play out like this: we each get a small crystal to plug in our ear, allowing us to communicate over long distances. Think of it as an automatic, more practical walkie-talkie. Then, in a sort of pocket dimension, we´ll duke it out with the enemy´s peerage, and I´ll have to be the tactician of our little group. So, in short Issei, think of me as the main character in that game you had lying on your floor. What was is called again…Fire something something the blazing spear? Am I correct?"

Issei´s face turned a dark shade of red, and he started stuttering about, wondering how the hell Rias knew what games he played. "Oh, Issei, did you already forget that wonderful night we spent together? I wasn´t just going to lie around naked in your bed the whole night with nothing to do, you know." Rider´s and Asia´s eyes widened at that statement. Since when in the name of God (ouchie!) did the both of them sleep together in one bed, and naked to boot?!

Asia had tears forming in her eyes. So her crush was already taken. How couldn´t she see that? Of course the two were together. Issei-san was a wonderful person, and he absolutely adored Rias. She should be glad that he found true love. But it still hurt. Her entire life she was abused for caring about others, regardless of who they were, it even got her killed before being revived as a devil, and now even her crush was taken from her? It was too much.

Rider observed the young Bishop he saw as a kind of little sister, and was getting angry. He always felt the desire to keep this untainted, adorable flower from all harm, even if it included harming the people she cared about. And right now, the Pawn and King were hurting her, even if it was not intended, and he would straighten them out. So, in the blink of an eye, he whacked the two over the head with his sheath, making them cry out in surprise before shooting him a glare.

"The hell was that for?!" shouted the boy, rubbing his head, before seeing the poor mood Asia was in, and he quickly ran over to resolve the misunderstanding. "Asia, wait! It´s not what you think!" he said to her, wiping away her tears, though she ignored his comments and instead stuttered out comments of her own. "Don´t worry, Issei-san. I-I understand. President is a wonderful person, and s-so are you, and if you l-l-like each other, then you should be happy and not worry about m-me."

"You don´t understand! We-" Issei was interrupted by Rias, who put his arm between her breasts with a hurt expression. "Issei! I´m hurt! Am I not good enough for you? After all we´ve done and experienced together? I even offered you my _most prized possession_ , Issei." She said, not so subtly implying things that deepened Asia´s descent into despair. Rider glared furiously at Rias, a dark aura oozing from him, and she decided that it might not be worth teasing out her Bishop´s confession if it meant antagonizing this man.

"Look, Asia, it was a joke. When Issei first became a devil, there was an…incident with the Fallen Angels you were working with. So, since he was so gravely wounded, I needed to heal him with my magic. And since I don´t have your Twilight Healing I had to use my raw magic power instead, which I can use most efficiently to heal wounds when I make skin contact with them. So calm down, I didn´t do the deed with your dear Issei-san." This caused Asia to look up in surprise at her master, who was forcing a smile on her face, mainly because Rider was still glaring at her. She had this unshakable, ominous feeling that he would make her suffer for this joke once their training session began again. She was really not looking forward to that.

Asia then turned to Issei, who was quite interested in the chandelier above them, his face still red from hearing that this cute girl held him dear. Her frown turned into a smile, deepening his blush. Geez, why the hell did this girl have to be so goddamn (ouch!) cute! It only served to embarrass him!

Rider smiled once again, making Rias sigh in relief. He was happy that the Bishop was happy once again. She always managed to cheer him up in some way, though her vulnerability to teasing was no joke. He had to physically restrain himself at times to not laugh when her clutziness began to show. Though that was still no excuse for actually doing it.

At this point, they had gotten off track, so they decided to once again train as scheduled. Issei was dragged off again by Koneko, who had a neutral expression which didn´t betray her joy at the prospect of teaching the pervert a lesson. Rider paired up Rias and Akeno for a spar, seeing as they knew most about magic and how to better their use of it, and told Kiba to watch out for Issei, knowing from the day before that the Rook had a tendency to be…rougher than was necessary. He himself finally took it upon himself to train Asia, seeing as she was the most vulnerable of them all, and he needed to ensure her safety. Also, he had noticed her low self-esteem, and that needed fixing. One could always be a humble person, but there is never a reason to think that one is useless, or has no right to exist.

So, as per usual, the two of them stood in the field behind the manor, and Rider did not draw his blade, but instead urged her to sit down beside him in the corruption, which she obliged to, albeit not without being confused. Rider had no real idea how to approach this dilemma. He didn´t even really know why he picked Asia to train, perhaps he just liked being around her. She was a light in the craziness that was his life.

So, he decided to ask her what she thought they should do, seeing as he couldn´t train a supportive unit very well, as he fought on the front lines, and knew no magic whatsoever. So, obviously, he was open to suggestions. Whatever the girl wanted to learn, he would teach her.

"What I want to l-learn? Um…oh, I know! Akeno-san thought me how to use my magic power today, but I really don´t know what to actually do with it. Could you help me with that, please?" She asked sweetly, and Rider smiled, and patted her head. Because it felt right. He stood up and gestured for her to conjure her power in some form.

She immediately followed his instructions, and conjured a small, green ball in her palm, letting it levitate. Rider observed it closely, and figured it would be best to let her do as she pleased. She waited for instructions, but received none. She was getting nervous. Was he disappointed? Had she been deemed a waste of his good will? No, she reminded herself. This was the same man who saved her that day. He was too kind to think stuff like that. But still, there was that voice in the back of her mind that always reminded her of her being a failure. She never did anything right. The only thing she could ever do was heal wounds, and that got her extorted from the church when she healed someone they deemed an enemy.

And yet, here she stood, the sphere still floating in her hand, and she got more and more nervous as time progressed. Why was he keeping her waiting? She needed instructions. There was that voice again. Her hand began shaking, as did the magic ball. She needed him to acknowledge her, to tell her what he wanted her to do, anything, she just needed instructions! Her vision started to blur.

Rider caught her just before she fell. He realized that he might have just made a bad decision. Asia appeared to be quite timid, but it seemed to be more of an insecurity than anything. She had no confidence in herself, as did Issei at times, though for her, it was rooted not only in her lacking power, but something that happened to her in her past. He decided to let her rest, and would give her a clear goal to aim for. For that, he needed to know more about magic. He would have to ask Rias about it later. Actually, scratch that. He would delay Issei´s session until later and train with the Queen in the afternoon, in which he could ask her, the expert on magic, to explain its nature to him. But for now, he would bring the Bishop to a more comfortable place to nap.

He carried her all the way to the living room, and lowered her gently onto the couch. He then sat down on the couch opposite to her. He would wait for the others to finish, though he had no idea what to do during that period. He lied himself onto the couch, and closed his eyes. He would have himself a short nap. The only thing to do now, really.

And there it was once again. That nagging feeling he felt earlier. He sighed, and looked at the book on the shelf. Honestly, he would prefer to sleep, but this was bugging him to no end. He stood up, and walked over to pick up the book. He sincerely hoped there were pictures. Because there is no way that he would be able to read it.

He sat back down on the couch, and was about to open the book before he found himself hesitating. What could be shown in here that would cause him, an outsider to this world, to feel the need to open it, as if he was missing something, and this would give it back to him? But that was absurd. He had only set foot on this planet a week ago, and he was born as a clone in a tank to serve as a soldier.

But still, he opened it. He turned the pages, until he saw a similar picture to the one on the cover. It was what he presumed to be angels, devils, and fallen angels battling each other. He turned the page again. Next to the text, there was another picture. It showed two big lizard-like creatures, one white, one red, battling each other, which he presumed to be the dragons Rias mentioned. This started another strong headache, even stronger than the one in the morning, and this time, he managed to grasp the form the same feeling from that morning took.

 **Fury.**

With immense struggling, he turned the page, and caught nary a glimpse of the picture, but what he saw was burned into his mind. A group of people were fighting the two monstrous beasts, but on the dragon´s side, stood two men, who simply stared at the battle. The second he saw this image, he blacked out from the immense pain that spiked, causing him to drop the book. From deep within his mind, he heard a voice chuckle joyfully, and utter very familiar words.

" _At last. Soon, very soon, the seal will be broken. Just remember, the Jailer is the key. Kill him, and you´ll be free. And so will I."_

 _ ***Cue the Roundabout***_

 **Cliffhanger, bitches! Muahahahaha! I´m an evil motherfucker! Cutting off right as the plot starts to git gud! MUAHAHA!**

 **So, um, leave a review about my evilness, if you would. It helps. Okay. Thank you. I hope to see you next time, okay? Okay. Bye.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sup, I´m back! And now, after that beautiful cliffhanger from last time, we continue our story after something terrible happens. Something so sinister, not even the devil himself can fathom its existence. The review-answering section. God help us all. Which, after season 2 of this anime, is rather ironic.**

 **ultima-owner: Who knows? Was he on Earth before? Well, I won´t tell you. But I will tell you this. There is an error in one of your presumptions that turns this whole thing around. And yes, once you know which one it is, you´ll also be able to follow the trail of bread crumbs I´ve scattered in the story thus far.**

 **blessingpilot4: Glad you enjoyed it. This one has less extensive plot of that from the last, though. Hope it doesn´t disappoint.**

 **Goldenclaw: Yeah, sorry about that. My evil alter ego just loves popping into existence at the worst possible time. Hell, this time, he worked together with my lazy alter ego to delay this as long as possible, so I hope the wait wasn´t too long. Anyway, hope to see you review again this chapter.**

 **Now, after this terribly evil deed has been done and our souls are forever corrupted, let´s get on with it. I know you´re pining for not the Fjords, but the words I write.**

Rider awoke in a puddle of sweat. His heart was beating insanely fast. He forced himself to calm down. Whatever did he dream to make him so agitated? He didn´t remember a thing. The only thing that kept haunting his thoughts were the words _"The Jailer is the key. Kill him, and you´ll be free"._ But he already was free. He had slain many people who sought to keep him locked up, and then destroyed a space station of the Hive that refused him his individuality, and thus his freedom. So what Jailer was left? And why was he still not free?

As he continued to think about it, his breath slowed, calming him down somewhat, though he was still bewildered about the pain that book caused him. And yet, something was…off. Something had changed within him, but he didn´t know what it was. He took a deep breath of air, and looked around. He was back in his room, in the bed that he gave to Koneko, and the sunlight shone dimly through the red curtains covering the window. He lied back down in his drenched sheets, and sighed. He had wasted their time, just to indulge his curiosity. He heard the door open, and turned his head toward the sound with a raised eyebrow. Who could it be? At this point in time, they should be training, even if he was down for the count.

It turned out to be Akeno, who was holding a silver tray with a towel and a bowl on it, together with a tea can and a porcelain cup. Her expression was one of sheer surprise, but she regained her composure quickly and rushed over to Rider, setting down the tray on the small table next to the bed, now with a worried expression.

"Are you okay? You have been asleep for hours now. It was kind of terrifying to see you with that face while you were thrashing around. It looked like you were dying of pain. You wouldn´t believe how much magic it took to get you to sleep, and Asia refused to actually leave your side for a whole hour before Rias finally got her to train." She said, causing Rider to blink. Just how long had he actually been asleep? And why had he thrashed about in his sleep? Just what had that book done to him?

"You know, you really made everyone worry. You should apologize to them later. But first, let´s take your temperature in case you have a fever." She said, whipping out the instrument in question. Rider stared at it, and sighed. What´s the worst that could happen? Better be safe than sorry.

After quite a few tests, Akeno sighed in relief. There was nothing wrong with her trainer and target. It was honestly weird. He had wrecked the couch and table while he was asleep, and yet, it seemed like there was nothing wrong with him. "Alright, you´re good to go. But…the others are still training, and won´t stop for a while. How about we spend some _quality time together_?" She said, trying to finally succeed in her self-imposed quest, but was shot down by a snort and a pat on the head. She huffed, and told him to suit himself, though she kind of liked being pet like that. It felt like he was someone who genuinely cared about _her,_ and not her body. Rider then put an arm on her shoulder, and raised an arm to imitate Asia, which Akeno understood quickly, and she smiled. He was really trying, wasn´t he? He hadn´t known any of them for a long time, yet he cared so much already. With a giggle, she gave him instructions to follow when training someone´s magic capabilities.

He made several mental notes, including that magic users would tire out physically and mentally after several spells in quick succession, and that in Asia´s case, it would be best to train her endurance, seeing as her Sacred Gear has accustomed her to mental exhaustion, and that her mental prowess could only be bolstered by meditating in excruciating conditions, which they had no time to set up right now. So, by the end, Rider was now rudimentarily instructed in the field of magic, and he felt more confident in trying to better Asia´s chances of mastering it, though he was still amused that Akeno repeatedly tried to seduce him during her explanation.

She always had to try that, didn´t she? Well, it was sweet of her to have actually shown to care for him more than as a target who for her shenanigans, though he always did enjoy rejecting her attempted seductions. Someone with a body like that must have a ginormous ego, and he always liked deflating those. Though she had shown him another side of hers a while ago, an incredibly vulnerable one, which he still didn´t understand. Someone like her had to be popular, so why would she fear that one person hated her? He decided that it was none of his business and abandoned that train of thought.

Their talk was interrupted when they heard a loud gasp coming from the doorway. They turned towards the sound, and they saw Asia standing there, seemingly not believing what she was seeing. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, she rushed over to hug Rider, tears streaming down her face.

"You idiot! Why did you worry us so much?! Don´t you ever do that again! I was scared! You were out for a whole day!" She cried, strengthening her grip on the shocked Rider, who felt rather awkward at being held like this. He sighed, and gently patted her head. That seemed to calm her down, and he realized just how much this girl actually cared about him, a stranger. Well, he still hadn´t fulfilled his promise of training her, so of course he wouldn´t just kick the bucket now. But more importantly, he had been out for more than a day?! That was so much time wasted! He sincerely hoped that they had not slacked off while he had his little nap, otherwise he would make their next morning run true torture.

As Rider was patting Asia´s head like that, Akeno giggled, and left the room to get the others. This would be an excellent opportunity to tease him together with the others. But her plans were halted when she felt something big, soft collide with the back of her head. Confused, she looked at the offending object, which turned out to be one of the pillows on the bed. Sighing, she left. She didn´t even have to look at him, she could feel his condescending, annoying grin. One day, she would wipe it off his face.

But it felt good actually having someone that fought back. It felt much better to dominate a man of equal or higher footing than hers, unlike all those boring worshippers of hers at school. They just grovelled all day and licked her boots, and it brought no satisfaction to dominate those who volunteered. It was just _so_ much better to break someone´s self-esteem yourself. She left the room with a haunting giggle. She was getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it. But it is just as they say, the chase makes the hunt all the better.

A while later, Rider and Asia exited the room, after she had been comforted enough and apologized to by her teacher, who also told her that he wouldn´t be so incompetent next time, which relieved Asia a lot. So it was his inexperience that caused his lack of action yesterday, not her incompetence. It made her happy, but she knew that it shouldn´t. Never revel in others mistakes – something she had been taught even as a child, and yet, here she was, glad that it was Rider´s mistake instead of hers. And even worse, she couldn´t even confess to the priests as she used to when she was with the church. She was a devil now, an enemy to them, even mentioning God or reading the Bible gave her a headache.

Her worries were pushed to the back of her mind as the two entered the living room once again, where everyone was seated, smiling as the pair entered. "So, I see you´re awake once again. Did you sleep well?" Asked Rias teasingly, though there was a slight bit of worry in her voice. After all, she had seen how much his past had traumatised Rider, and it might impede their training if he wasn´t in his best shape. Besides, it was basic human decency to worry about someone when they suddenly, out of nowhere fall unconscious and start thrashing about for seemingly no reason. He simply nodded, happy that these people really cared for him, even after such a short while. He took a seat next to Koneko, who was munching on a salmon-filled sandwich and spared a quick glance at him before she continued eating.

Rias, Akeno and Kiba, who had known her the longest smiled, as they could tell that their Rook had been worried about Rider, as well. She just didn´t show it, so Issei and Asia couldn´t tell. They then discussed with Rider what they had done during his nap, who was proud that his students were independent enough to train exactly how he wanted it, and was even prouder when he was told what happened to Issei when he was supposed to be training with Rider himself. The boy would be scared of whips forever, but at least his footing in battle had improved. If you discount the broken bones he received from it. How bones break through the use of whips, he would never know, but Akeno seemed to be capable of anything once she lived out her…urges. But since the boy´s wounds were healed by Asia, there was no problem.

Then, he was informed that it was technically that exact time of day, when he would train Issei. He chuckled, causing the Pawn to sweat profusely. What kind of devilish training would he concoct? The first day wasn´t so bad, but the second one was terrifying. And he could tell that Rider was a man of pride. Who knows what he would do to overcome the high bar the Queen set during her small reign over him? Hell, she scarred Asia for life during that training. He made a mental note to never let her watch again when he gets punished. Ever.

Before he knew it, the both of them were back in the field, and Rider was still chuckling to himself. Issei´s fear only grew worse when Rider beckoned him closer, to which he hesitantly obliged. Rider took off his jacket, which confused the boy at first, but before realization struck him, Rider threw the jacket in his face and tied it behind his head, effectively blinding the poor bugger.

"Hey! What´s this all about?!" he screamed in surprise, yelping as he felt something long and hard being used to whack him straight in the face. His complaints were ignored as he felt this object hit him all over, sometimes right in the gut, sometimes on his leg, and some came dangerously close to his groin. He desperately wanted the pain to stop. Heck, he was running all over the place to get away from it, though Rider´s assault seemed endless, always hitting him again, over, and over, and over again. It was honestly getting to the point where Issei´s limbs were going numb and he couldn´t feel the pain.

He finally lost his balance, and fell flat on his face, straight into the dirt. That was it. Now he couldn´t even get up, he had taken that much of a beating. He might as well accept it. He couldn´t feel anything at this point. He simply tensed, waiting for the torture to be over. After a few agonizingly long seconds, he felt the warm cloth being removed from his face. Momentarily blinded by the sunset, he opened his eyes. What he saw when his eyes adjusted was surprising, to say the least. It was that same proud smile he had seen only yesterday, being directed at him. But why? He hadn´t accomplished anything. He didn´t evade a single hit. Instead, he ran away, and even that didn´t work.

His teacher, realizing that Issei wasn´t realizing what he had accomplished, sighed. He took a while to explain to Issei what had happened in the half hour that he was blindfolded. He had, first of all, managed to keep his footing till the bitter end, which was remarkable for someone who had no proper training until a few days ago. And, something even more astounding was Issei´s ability to read Rider´s moves and evade them as he was blinded. He had developed a warrior´s instinct in a matter of days. Rider knew of the boy´s potential, but this was truly amazing. Who knows how strong he could become if Rider kept on training him. It ignited his lust for battle. Yes, this boy would become a great opponent one day. And then, they would have a duel. No tricks or hiding like the Burst fought. Just the two of them, fighting like that time with the Edge.

Suddenly, he felt his lust for battle shift. It turned into something far more sinister, something primal. **Bloodlust**. Yes, they would have a duel to the death. In fact, why not have it right now and get it over with? After all…it was him who is the bearer of the curse…why not kill him and destroy it?

"Hey, you okay? I mean, I know that I was amazing, but do you have to look at me with that creepy look?" Rider snapped out of his trance. Issei stood there, slightly shivering, having stopped celebrating for a second to look at his teacher. Rider forced a smile, and picked up his sheathed sword he had placed on the ground after its extended use as a bat. They then walked off toward the manor once again, pushing back the pain, Issei having the numbness wear off to be replaced by soreness, and Rider finding himself having a headache after his small dip into insanity back there. It seems like he found out what the book had done to him. It had given him…this hate for the boy, though it only shone through for a split moment. Actually, it wasn´t the boy. It was something else…something invisible to the naked eye. He pushed his ponderings for later, as the boy started talking to him. He really didn´t need random hate towards an ally he was fond of while he was conversing with said ally.

They reached the house, and found that dinner had already been served, which shoved all of Rider´s thoughts about manners toward Issei away, making him speed right into a free chair as Issei was talking, leaving the boy speechless as everyone else had a good laugh at his expense. He joined them in their mirth, and they all had a jolly good time as they ate. It was a simple meal this time, just some rice paired with some fish, from which a quarter mysteriously vanished during cooking. It was delicious as usual, though Rider was a tad disappointed by the lack of satisfaction he got from it. He guessed that he must enjoyed rich, heavy meals more than the lighter meals, of which the taste danced on the tip of the tongue. The hearty dishes fill you much better, after all, and he didn´t have anything for a whole damn day!

As the others enjoyed his grumpy state, they decided that it was time once again to bathe, though to Issei´s despair, Koneko demanded that he be locked inside a room with the other men until the girls were finished, to which they agreed. So, here they were, inside their cell, er, room, and had nothing to do. So they sat around, occasionally talked, mainly Rider and Kiba, seeing as Issei was having another depression in the corner. He had asked Rider multiple times if he had anything gadget to get him out to "go to the toilet", but Rider ignored him until Issei finally gave in and admitted it.

"Fine! I want to peek into the bath! But is it really that bad? As a man, it is my will, nay, my _duty_ to peek when there are pretty girls naked in the vicinity! Will you really hinder me in my duty!?" He declared with absolute confidence, which completely boggled Rider´s mind to the point where he groaned and gave himself multiple facepalms. How? How could this boy declare something as shameless and stupid as that with that amount of confidence? Ah well. If this boy saw it as his duty, then fine. Rider stood up, walked to the door, and kicked it down. Issei blinked. He expected something more…elegant than that from his teacher, but that worked too. In fact, why didn´t he do it himself? He had the Boosted Gear, after all.

"Thanks! I´ll repay you later! Huehuehue!" he said before running off. The other two waited. "He´s gonna get caught, isn´t he?" Kiba asked, to which Rider nodded knowingly. They looked at the clock. Any second now.

BANG!

There we go. They looked at the door, where a red faced Koneko stood, towel wrapped around her, Issei unconscious on the floor, and she was very damn pissed. "Who let him out?" she asked calmly, though there was a deadly undertone in her voice. Yep. Rider was so fucking dead. But he remained calm, and pointed at Issei, then tapped his left arm. Koneko nodded. "Fine. But if I find out that it was one of you." Her bangs covered her glowering eyes as she lowered her head,

" _You´re dead."_

And with that, she walked off. Kiba sighed. His perverted friend was going to suffer for that. But honestly, he had it coming. He looked at his teacher, who looked right back at him. Their mouths curled upward, and they laughed. This was simply comically ridiculous. After their round of laughs, they got permission to go take a bath, and were supposed to take Issei with them, however, with his stumbling and fear of the bath it was almost impossible to get him in. After they did, he took his bath as usual, but seemed to look over his shoulder just a bit much while it lasted.

After it was over, Rider entered his room, where his roommate was reading a book in bed. He had left the psychological treatment of Issei to Kiba and Asia, seeing as they knew him better, and he couldn´t exactly tell him anything comforting. So, he went to his couch, and lied down, picking up the third volume of the book he was reading, before he was interrupted.

"Hey." He looked up, and there was his white haired roommate, clad in cute yellow pyjamas lined with cat faces. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression. "Can you even read?" She asked, causing Rider to shake his head in slight embarrassment. "Want me to teach you?" he blinked. He looked up at her, and saw the same expression as before. Seeing as this would help him later on in this world, and he could address the subject of trust between them during their lessons, he nodded, making space so she could sit down next to him. She looked at the book he was reading, and giggled quietly. It was a famous manga, even outside the otaku community for the ridiculous posing, over the top characters, and the memes. The sweet, delicious memes that this brought into Za Warudo. She would enjoy teaching him, that´s for sure.

"Alright, so this symbol on the front means ´Jo´."

 **And thus, the partnership between Koneko and Rider begins! Will they fall in love? Will they do it like on the discovery channel? Who knows! Oh, wait. I do. But I won´t tell you. HA!**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading, your continued enjoyment of this story is greatly appreciated. Leave a review if you will, and I´ll be seeing you next time! Bye!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Welcome back to the SUPER AMAZING CHAPTER OF THIS STORY. So, before we get into this one, I´ll apologize right now because this one is a bit short compared to the others, but the content should be juicy enough to entertain until next time. Anyway, review answering incoming!**

 **Crowskull: YES! YES! SOMEONE GETS IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I´VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT?! SINCE CHAPTER BLOODY 10! ALSO, YES, THE FIST PART OF THIS VERY ANSWER IS ALSO A MEME. WHY IS EVERYTHING IN CAPS? Don´t know. See ya next time!**

 **ultima-owner: Might be, or might not be. Ah, the great questions in life. But yes, you´re right. In a twisted sort of way.**

 **Anon(presumably 1): You, too, my good sir (or madam, who knows), are on the dot. Yes, Rider will indeed take possession of Issei´s role as the Main character. Just kidding, it´s actually Saji. If you don´t know who that is and have to look him up, don´t worry, I had to as well. Also, in all seriousness, you are right in a way, he will get some similar powers to those, but no further spoilers shall be given on this day!**

 **Goldenclaw: Two things: thanks for the ego boost at the end, and second, you might just jumping to conclusions, specifically in the second sentence. The answer as to why is included somewhat hidden in the chapter. I´ll let you find out yourself.**

 **Now then, no more stalling, time skip, engage! (play Doctor Who theme(2005 version))**

Rider was currently reading the fourth book of one of the ´manga´ series he enjoyed, though this time, he could actually read it, so that was a great improvement. After rereading the first few volumes, he understood just how far he was off in terms of the events that happened. That just goes to show how much more you understand if you can sodding read. He had been given lessons by the Rook for the last few days, usually an hour before they went to sleep, and he found himself enjoying that time immensely. Mainly due to what she used as reference to teach him, that being the very book he was currently holding. Now that he thought about it, it was kind of a good night story, seeing as she read it to him, and then explained the words´ meaning. That made him slightly embarrassed, seeing as, well, he was a bit old for bed time stories.

As for the training, that had been going swimmingly. He finally got around to train Asia properly, making her focus to create bigger, more condensed spheres of energy, and he had also trained with Koneko in their own session, though it wasn´t just him pulling a trigger to make her dodge, but actually a spar, just using their fists. It was quite exhilarating. She knew many moves that either made use of her small frame or negated her disadvantages of it, mainly the fact that she couldn´t reach very high. Honestly, she barely reached Rider´s shoulders in terms of height, but she knew how to bring him down, and quickly at that.

But today was a day Rider had dreaded for quite a while. Today, he could no longer avoid training THAT person. Namely the Queen, whom he did not know to take things very seriously, especially if it gave her an opportunity to try and embarrass him. He was quite torn on the inside. On one hand, his little competition against her was a fun little distraction from the serious nature of their stay here, but on the other, it was a distraction which could impede their progress.

So, here he was, sighing as he put his book aside, getting ready for the daily routine. His roommate was still asleep, and while she was a light sleeper, which he knew due to him not sleeping himself, instead reading the book to further deepen his understanding of the language, he knew to not wake her up. He made that mistake once, and it resulted in him getting decked right in the face. Not fun.

He left the room, and went into the field to stretch properly. As he did this, he heard the house slowly awake from its slumber. Curtains were opened to let in the bright light of dawn, and the face he dreaded most popped out the window to let her ´darling´ know that she´ll be there soon, making him scoff at the Queen, who ignored the mockery and dressed up faster than all the others, arriving far earlier than anyone else, which resulted in Rider having to dodge quite a few attempts of intimate hugging, ending when Rias arrived and made Akeno stop, though her following apology for the workout was quite insincere.

They followed their usual route, and after having scaled the mountain once again, the gang took a rest, Rider enjoying the scenery as the others caught their breath. Well, except for the two who had the endurance for this sort of thing. And one of the two, who had been getting closer to him over the last few days than anyone else present, sat down next to him, glaring at him lightly before letting herself be entranced by the view as well. She was kind of disappointed, mainly because he knew that she could do this run all day and it wouldn´t be all too hard for her. But she let it slide, as the others needed it, seeing as they looked like zombies at this point. It had actually been the first time that no one collapsed on the way up here. It seems like the training was already starting to pay off, probably due to their devilish nature. Which was good, seeing as soon, the week would be over, and they would have to fight for the President´s freedom.

Though those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when she heard someone whispering something, resulting in snickering from the others. And there it was again. The stupid, baseless comments about her ´love´ toward her teacher. It was respect as a fellow warrior, nothing less, and nothing more. And she knew exactly who made the comment. She bent over and picked up a pebble that was lying on the ground, and threw it into the air, getting a feel for its weight. Then she flicked it over her shoulder, eliciting a scream of pain from a certain Pawn.

She noticed how Rider was holding out a fist toward her, which she without looking, for the badass effect, bumped. He must´ve seen that in one of the many manga in the house. Geez, how many had he read at this point? He always stayed up the whole night to read, so how was he not yet collapsing of exhaustion? Oh, wait. Aliens. Probably immune to that or some bollocks.

Koneko could practically feel the disapproving gaze of her master drill into her back, and she sighed. She would be nice and apologize later. It was improper to do such things. But it did not mean that she would hold back in training. She could always torment him then.

A split second later, she felt a gust of wind rush past her ear, which nearly toppled Rider. It turned out to be a rather jealous looking Queen, who had pushed herself onto the annoyed Rider in a quite stimulating fashion. "Darling, are you cheating on me? After all we´ve been through, you choose her over me? What does she have that I don´t? She has the body of a ten year old, and you cheat on me even though I would offer you my body if you asked at any point?" She said, obviously faking her jealousy, though that last bit enraged Koneko to no end. Was Akeno implying that she would never be able to get a boyfriend due to her not growing as fast as the others? Hmph, she **chose** not to because men were perverted idiots that only cared about shoving their ´Mighty Excalibur´ inside you. But actually…having this one as her boyfriend might not be too bad. He clearly had not shown any sign of perversion, and they were quite alike.

She shook her head. No. She wouldn´t fall for it that easily. She enjoyed his company, sure, but love? No, that she did not feel for him. Their current relationship was comfortable for her, one of a teacher and student, though who was what was variable.

Rider, who was oblivious to her inner ramblings due to being preoccupied by Akeno´s advances, grumbled. This was just a great start for what was to come later, wasn´t it. She would never take anything seriously. So, just for the sake of getting the Queen to realize that today, he meant business, he completely ignored her. Granted, it was tough to do so because, well, men react when a girl pushes her breasts onto their back.

"Why won´t you talk to me? Do you hate me? What did I ever do to you?" the Queen said, trying to fluster him by faking hurt. Rider ignored her. Reacting in any way would give her what she wanted, and would encourage her further. After a while, Akeno huffed, and pulled back, pouting lightly. "You´re no fun. So, my dear Kohai, how is he in bed?" She asked, turning to Koneko.

Oh, that´s just great. Rider said a prayer to the Majestic Crab Gods and glanced at her with a pitying look. Koneko herself, not expecting this sudden tease, blushed, but kept her composure. "Please. I have standards. Besides, he´s too old for me." She said, deflecting the attempt, though Akeno giggled upon seeing her redden. She didn´t press further after finally teasing someone, but said one thing that made her Kohai´s head spin right around.

"You know, he isn´t that old. He´s probably in his early twenties. He only looked older because of how tired he was. I mean, who wouldn´t? He has been tortured for practically forever a while back. So, take another look. _You might like what you see_." And right then, Akeno turned on her heel and left. Koneko was slightly confused for two reasons. Firstly, what was the Queen trying to accomplish? Age wouldn´t change their relationship in the slightest. And second, had she really misjudged him that badly?

She looked at him, and fair enough, the rings under his eyes were gone. He looked almost like the son of the man she had fought, back when they first met. She was thankful that her face was already red, because otherwise, the new shade her face would have taken would have made the teasing unbearable. Actually, she could hear some snickering again, which prompted her to flick another pebble into the pervert´s face, nearly knocking him out. Today, his training would be hell.

After they had eaten breakfast, Rider prepared himself mentally for the training session that was about to come up. He told the Queen to prepare herself for her training, which she responded to with utter glee, complaining that it took so long for her to finally get her turn. Rider was sitting in the field, waiting for her to show up. He scoffed lightly. She had shown unbridled enthusiasm at the prospect of finally training, but in the end, she took forever to prepare. It had been ten bloody minutes since she said that she´d ´be right there´.

"Sorry for the wait!" he heard her say, sighing as he turned around, before blinking, not believing what he saw. She was wearing a kimono, as it was her battle gear, but this one was much less sophisticated than the other, in fact, it looked like it was made for a child. "Since you like Koneko, I thought I should show you my inner child too! Do you like it?" She said, spinning around. This was sure to get him.

Rider, in fact, was conflicted. On one hand, he couldn´t deny that it had an immediate effect on him, he had to admit that she looked beautiful and cute at the same time. But on the other, he wanted to rip it to shreds to tell her that he wouldn´t tolerate this bullshit when he talked about training.

In the end, he sighed, and just signalled for her to get into her stance. He wouldn´t waste any more time. She looked mildly disappointed, and sighed. It had taken so long to put it on, too. Oh well. She used her magic to put on her battle gear, and opened her wings. Rider wasted no time and shot several bullets, which she deflected with a magic shield, which was followed by an immediate casting of lightning that struck at Riders position.

However, Rider was already on the move, charging up a shot that would blast right through the barrier, the spell trailing in the corruption he left, burning away any grass that was left. After his shot was fully charged, Rider pulled the trigger, and the bullet shot out at near light speed toward his opponent, who pulled up a strong shield and deflected it right back at him. Though, to her surprise, the shot was only a distraction, and Rider was right behind her, sword in her, ready to smack her onto the ground.

She narrowly evaded it by flying higher, panting from the close call. Rider hit the ground, and released another charged shot into the ground, the shockwave blasting him up in the Queen´s face, which immediately paled before being punched into the ground.

Rider landed on his knees, and sheathed his sword. He walked toward the crater, and held out a hand, which the Queen begrudgingly took, and they sat down next to one another, resting from their exhaustion. Rider´s was mental due to his trauma, and Akeno just got ground into the dust.

After a short while, Akeno asked why he didn´t react to her at all today. It was as if he suddenly started to hate her for some reason. It took a while for him to explain, but in the end, she understood and calmed down before lying in the grass, several feet away from him. He looked at her, and smiled. At least now she knew, and wouldn´t just mess around all the time.

" _But you have to admit, you like it when she does. It gives you some mental exercise."_

Rider had to agree. She was the most annoying, but also the most fun to barter with.

" _And that body of hers is a nice bonus, too. I mean damn, that is one hot babe. I´d tap that."_

Rider nodded. That was true. She had, along with Rias, the most mature body of anyone he´d ever seen. And honestly, if he didn´t have to leave or had no morals, he´d probably sleep with her.

" _Why not? Just stay. It´s not as if you´d ever be happy by just floating in space doing nothing and fighting a fleet of ships every once in a while. Come on, do it. Let your instincts take over. She wants to, and that other one too. Stay here, and get a life worth living."_

Rider suddenly snapped out of his trance and realized that he was hearing a voice from somewhere. He jumped up and drew his sword, looking around for the source of it. He didn´t see anything. Had he just imagined it? No, he definitely heard it. Was it only in his head? Speaking of his head, it was aching again. Great.

"Is something the matter?" said the Queen, to which he shook his head. She saw how he held his head, and stood up with a smile. "Come on, I´ll make some tea, and then you´ll be better." She walked off, with him following suit. But before he did, he took one last look around. He must´ve imagined it. There was no one to be seen. He felt the Queen tug his arm, and before he knew it, it was buried in her bosom.

"Come on, I´ll make you feel better. Follow me!" she said, dragging him to the mansion. As they entered the front door, Rider couldn´t shake the feeling of being watched, and that they were, by two narrowed eyes, the owner of which was currently holding a pervert quite tightly to the ground, her grip getting stronger the longer she looked at the pair.

 **Well, I´ll cut it off a bit sooner than usual, sorry about that. But, I said everything I wanted in this chapter, and I kind of want to end this part of the story in the next chapter and move on. Also, fuck this piece of shit writer´s block. ANYWAY, review, if you please, and I´ll see you next time! Bye!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright, so, I´m back, and a bit earlier than you might´ve expected! So, with a flourish, let´s jump right into the chapter!**

 **ultima-owner: Her teasing is actually quite entertaining for Rias, at least in my mind. Only Asia and Koneko should really be affected by it. Asia, due to Issei´s love for Hentai Boobs, and Koneko because of the fact that, well, it´s kinda obvious she´ll be in Rider´s harem at this point. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.**

 **CrowSkull: Actually, yeah, you´re the one who made me check again to see if I depicted Rider as a bit too old, and sure enough, you were right! I misremembered the cutscene when the Song presents her offer (it´s the only closeup were Rider looks somewhat neutral), and for some reason, Rider looked a lot older to me in it on my first playthrough. But after checking, I figure that I simply was tired after too many deaths to the sodding Star, so I remembered it incorrectly (I wrote chapter 1 basically right after that, and chapter 2 the same night). And about the rest, we discussed it in our PMs.**

 **So, to anyone reading this, the Majestic Crab Gods are only a joke, mainly to give Rider something to pray to, so basically I picked a random meme and slapped it in front of Crab Gods. Thank you Dark Souls.**

 **Now, after looking through some earlier chapters, I realized that I might have glossed over an important question when answering a certain review, so I´ll do that right away. Better late than never, am I right, lolrus555?**

 **So, you wanted to know who´ll be in the harem, which I completely forgot to answer. Again, sorry about that. So, at this point, I´m sure you´ve figured that Koneko and Akeno will be included. I mean, how couldn´t they? Akeno talks with him the most and he´s the only man Koneko trusts (somewhat, especially after the last chapter). Now, as for the girls from season 2, I am leaning toward shoving Xenovia´s tits in his face as well, and leave Irina to her ´darling´. And, since I haven´t even watched season 3, (I know, crucify me, blablabla) I´ll figure those ones out later. Anyways, hope you aren´t too mad at me (btw Joseph best Jojo, completely agree), and hope to see you in the reviews again sometime!**

 **Now, there is one last thing to do before we get into the closing chapter for the training arc.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON´T OWN ANY OF THE SHIT LISTED ABOVE THE TITLE, NAMELY HIGHSCHOOL DXD OR FURI. EACH OF THESE BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. HAVE I DONE WELL, MASTER?**

 **Shut up, you stupid bot! Well, uh, that was the totally real disclaimer made by me, congresscrab, and, uh, enjoy the chapter…?**

It was the last day of training, and the day was nearly over. Issei had been training day and night, and now was the time to show off what he had learned. His opponent would once again be Kiba, which got him fired up immediately. He finally had the chance to properly smash the bastard´s face in. After all, Mister Pretty Boy had all the girls swooning over him, which crushed any boy´s dreams of going out with a girl at Kuoh. It was time to avenge his fallen comrades. Issei clenched his armored fist, the emerald glowing with energy.

"Well then, Issei-san, I hope this duel goes well. But do not hold back. Because I won´t." said the cursed Knight with a friendly, yet determined glint in his eyes. Issei nodded, and they took their stances. Rias was impressed already. It had taken so little time for their guest to make Issei look like a real fighter, before the fight even started. She smiled. This would be a good fight. Rider observed his two students, then, after being sure that they were ready, he raised his arm. Everything went silent, and the two duellists adjusted their feet to get a better jump off. Then, Rider fired a shot.

The two immediately charged forward, though Issei still couldn´t keep up with Kiba, who sped around him, ready to strike with his broadsword. Issei let himself fall to the ground, going under the slash, then punched the ground with a boosted punch to get up faster, and formed a small red orb in his palm, which he threw at the Knight, but it was evaded with relative ease. The Pawn grimaced. That wouldn´t work unless Kiba didn´t expect it, and it came from close range. With no time to rest, he wasted no time blocking the next swing, and retaliated with another magic orb, but instead of throwing it, he kept hold of the sword to keep the blonde from fleeing, and tried to shove his palm including the orb right into his opponent´s stomach, but Kiba let go of his blade and jumped away, spawning another blade in his hand before he landed.

Without delay, Issei boosted with his weapon, and charged toward the flying Knight, who nearly failed to dodge the next attack, but managed to barely twist his body around it, and kicked the Pawn´s fist into the air while landing with a handstand. Issei, now open to Kiba´s swings, immediately took a defensive posture, just barely blocking the many swings the Knight threw at him, which ended with a spin slash that threw Issei backward, with the blonde in quick pursuit. Just before Kiba slashed at him again, though, Issei materialized a big orb that he had previously concealed in his palm, and made it burst like a shotgun shell, halting the Knight´s offensive, and gave him ample time to land on the ground.

Panting, Issei stood up and looked at his opponent, who looked as if he was nearly unaffected. With a friendly smile, said Knight looked back at him and uttered a few pretty demoralizing words.

"That nearly tickled, Issei-san. This is no time for games."

It destroyed Issei on the inside. He had trained so much, and it was all for naught? He was still useless to his President? He hated it. He hated all of it. He hated not being able to be a proper devil that could get contracts. He hated being a burden on President. But most of all, he hated that goddamn (ouch!), stupid, all-knowing grin on that bloody prick´s face!

"YOU FUCKING WOT?! I´LL WIPE THAT SHITTY SMILE OFF YOUR FACE!" he said as he ran toward the Knight, throwing caution to the wind in his fit of rage. The blonde smiled, and formed another sword in his hand, one that was much larger, meant to be used against large opponents. With this, he would end the fight in one swing. As his fellow devil approached, he prepared a devastating attack that his rival was unable to see thanks to his muddled state of mind. Right before Issei went to attack, he swung. Issei, still blind to this, reared back his Boosted Gear, ready to punch Kiba in half.

" _ **BOY, DUCK!"**_

Issei snapped out of his rage quickly enough to realize just what was happening. He threw himself to the floor, the sword going over his head and burying itself in the ground. Kiba, unable to hide his surprise, was stunned.

" _ **NOW,BOY! STRIKE WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!"**_

Issei followed the voice and with a roar punched Kiba right in the noggin, sending him flying across the field, until he hit the ground, creating a big cloud of dust that would take nearly a minute to settle. Issei collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Finally. He had done it. He had proven his worth, and beaten the bastard responsible for so many broken dreams.

"Well, that was quite a fight, I must say."

Or maybe not. His eyes shot open, and there stood the Knight, a sword to the Pawn´s throat.

"I win." He said with that friendly grin, but it felt more mocking than anything. Sighing, Issei gave up. It was impossible. He would never be strong enough to help his President. Hell, he couldn´t even properly eat from the hand that fade him, the effort of Rider was wasted on him. He may have gotten much stronger, gained the ability to use magic and invented a new move, but in the end, all of it was wasted. He had to apologize. To both of them. For being such a waste of time.

Then, he saw Rider enter his field of vision. Ah, yes. Here it comes. The disappointment, the annoyance about his failure. He could take it. It was the least he could do. A hand was extended to him, which he took timidly, and as he was pulled up rapidly, he saw something he did not expect. The proud smile that this man only wore when his students accomplished something great. But what did he manage to do? He didn´t exactly win by any means. Sure, he put up a much better fight, but the end result was the same. Then, his President walked up to him, and shared the same smile, causing him to blush slightly. He wondered why they were so proud of him, though.

"Issei. Congratulations. You might not know what you accomplished, so let us tell you. You managed to do something amazing today, something that only I myself have managed to do. You broke one of Akeno´s barriers." She said, her smile growing wider with each word. Issei blinked. What the hell was she talking about? He was fighting Kiba, and didn´t even beat him. Not to mention, all the hopes and dreams from the heartbroken boys he carried on his back would now never be fulfilled. Kiba would always remain one step ahead.

Rias, seeing how confused and depressed her Pawn was, decided to do something to cheer him up. Especially since he seemed to not listen to her at this stage. "You know, Issei, this warrants a reward. You may ask me anything. The only thing I want you to do is listen to me, ok?" Issei immediately snapped out of it, blushing deep red, stuttering incoherently, until finally, he managed to form a sensible sentence: "A-anything?! E-even…touching…y-your b-b-boobs?!" he shouted, a lecherous grin forming rapidly on his face. Now he was eager to listen.

"Alright. So, before the battle even began, our dear ´Mister Samurai´" she shot him a glance to make sure he was annoyed, which he was, before looking at her servant again. "He ordered Akeno to place a barrier around Kiba, for two reasons: one, it would show just how powerful you´ve become, and second, it would really help to not have Kiba die on us the day before the Rating Game. Well, that´s all I have to say. So, you wanted to touch these, right?" She concluded, lifting up her massive tits to emphasize their size, overwhelming Issei completely. First, he realized that he might be going insane and was hearing voices in his head, second, he was revealed just how strong he was, and now, he had the chance to touch the boobs of his dreams?! It was too much. Smoke started to flow from his ears.

"Oh, but I´ll only allow it for ten seconds."

What?

"Ten."

SHIT!

"Nine."

He composed himself, and took a deep breath.

"Eight."

He looked at his hands. Now, they would ascend into heaven.

"Seven."

He focused on his master´s cleavage.

"Six."

He lifted his hands, and slowly, they moved toward the heavenly mounds. He was so focused on fulfilling his dream that he couldn´t even hear her count down anymore. He looked at them more closely, and marvelled at their sheer size. He had never really noticed just how humongous they really were. He wondered how they felt. He wondered what his perverted friends would say. A million thoughts shot through his mind, all revolving around the globes that were Rias´ boobs. He was almost there. His fingers could nearly touch them.

"Zero."

And just like that, they were gone, out of his reach as Rias turned around and walked away with Akeno giggling and Koneko glaring at him in disgust. He couldn´t believe it. He was so close, and he hesitated. He, the biggest pervert in Kuoh, nay, the world, HESITATED WHEN PRESENTED WITH BOOBS. His knees gave way, and he collapsed on all fours. He sat up, and looked at his hands once again. They had nearly tasted heaven. He looked at the sky, and let out a scream of utter despair.

Before a pebble to the cheek snapped him out of it, said pebble being launched by Koneko, who stuck out her tongue at the pervert before following her master, Kiba joining them after telling them that he needed to rest after that punch. He looked at Rider, who was patting him on the shoulder, as if to console him. He may not exactly be the greatest supporter of the boy´s goals, but he could at least admire his dedication to it.

Issei looked his teacher in the eyes, and nodded. This was not a setback. It was a step forward in his goal - he would not give up. Reinvigorated, he stood up, and looked at his hands one final time. One day, they would touch heaven. That´s for certain.

"Um, Issei-san…" he looked up at Asia, who was completely red in the face with a gaze that found an anthill in the floor as a great point of interest. "I-if you want to touch a g-girl´s b-b-breasts…" she said, gripping the edge of her top. Oh no. "THEN DO IT WITH ME!" she cried, lifting up the shirt enough to expose her pink bra to the whole world, shocking Rider and Issei. Quickly, Issei pulled it back down, telling her he wasn´t in the mood for it, trying to calm her down. Also, he really didn´t want to evoke Rider´s wrath, who was already emitting a dark aura, his eyes glowing.

After Asia had calmed down, she left as well, leaving only Issei and Rider in the field. Issei slowly turned around, and came face to face with a pretty pissed Rider. "I should run now, shouldn´t I?" he said timidly, shaking in his shoes, which got worse upon seeing Rider not even respond, instead poising himself to jump right at him. "I-I´ll take that as my cue to leave." And so, Issei got a lot more training that morning, constantly on the run from Rider´s fast and furious swipes, his anger stemming from the corrupting influence of this bloody pervert on the innocent, delicate flower that was Asia.

Later, after they had eaten lunch, during which Issei had been asked multiple times about all the bruises he had, only for him to shiver and reply that it was training, Asia all but forced him to come with her so that she could heal his injuries. After Issei hesitantly glanced at Rider, who nodded with a frown, he let himself be dragged off, though Rider´s expression did nothing to ease his worries.

And thus, Rider had nothing to do for the entire afternoon. Koneko refused to teach him the language anymore for some reason, Rias and Akeno were doing whatever they did during their so-called ´secret time´, and Kiba was still dealing with the aftermath of that sodding punch. It still astounded Rider just how powerful that punch was. In his time training Akeno, which was, granted, the shortest of them all, he estimated the strength of those barriers to be about as high as the Line´s pillars. Damn, he hated those. In fact, he hated the Line in general. Non-confrontational prick.

So, he did what he always did when he had nothing to do, and took a walk around the valley, for the last time. He took in the singing of the birds, the smell of the flowers blooming, and the generally beautiful day that it was. He stopped every once in a while after seeing something weird, usually an insect that was weirdly shaped. He would have to look at an encyclopaedia later to find out what they were. Nature was fascinating.

Finally, he arrived on the peak of a mountain, the highest of them all. And he took it in. The view was gorgeous. He could see for miles. Heck, he saw the white houses of the city sparkle in the distance. He wished that he could keep this sight forever. He wished that he could capture this moment, the sights, the smell, the sounds, everything, so he could live it again and again. Then, a thought occurred to him, and he charged down the mountain, back to the manor.

The people he passed looked on in confusion as he darted around the mansion, shortly appear with a random object in hand only to disappear once again, only to reappear with another object, and so on and so forth, until they decided that it was only their teacher being quirky as usual, and went on to do their own business. Before he left with quite a big satchel of equipment, he left a note in his room that pointed at the mountain he was about to run up again, as to not miss dinner, and darted off to the peak, passing Akeno in the hallway, leaving a gust that flipped her skirt, much to the delight of Issei, who stood in the doorway opposite to her. She didn´t mind, instead giggling and rambling to herself about the man´s infinite stamina, making herself blush at her own fantasies. Issei, not wanting to hear any stories she might come up with, quickly shut the door.

A long while later, at dusk, Rider had still not returned. The devils weren´t exactly worried about him, but rather themselves if they ate dinner without him. A search of his room revealed the note he left, which simply was an arrow that pointed at the highest peak. They were confused slightly, but decided to send Koneko to get him, only managing to convince her with a threat of endless teasing if she didn´t comply. Also, it was Kiba´s turn to cook, and they doubted that their guest wanted to wait for dinner. Before she left, she was hit by a small allusion to her seemingly ´loving´ care for the man, but Akeno quickly shut up when she saw her Kohai´s expression at her comment. It was one of betrayal. But why? What had she seen that would cause that? Perhaps Akeno went too far in her teasing of their teacher, and Koneko thought he gave in…? Well, she would straighten it out later. Because she wanted the Rook to be happy, and she had the feeling that the guest might be able to help her overcome herself to achieve her true happiness.

Anyways, Koneko was now heading up the mountain with a light jog, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. The less she had to look at the weak-willed pervert, the better. T´was a shame, really. She was just starting to actually warm up to him, but then he had to give in to the Queen´s charms. The second she saw him being dragged off with his arm between her breasts was the moment she lost all respect for him. She would keep interactions with him as brief and far between as possible. She couldn´t bear to look him in the face. As she pondered this, she finally reached the summit, and was stunned at what she saw. The view was amazing, and the sun setting made it all the more beautiful. She almost lost her focus, but was brought back to reality by a strange sound. It sounded like a cat scratching a couch or something like that.

Looking around, she found the source of it. It was Rider, sitting in front of a big piece of paper on a stand, energetically scribbling something on it with a pen. Sighing, she walked up to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. She was ignored as he continued his quick strokes. She was getting annoyed. What on earth could he be doing that would require enough attention of his to not notice a hand on his shoulder?! Well then, Rias never said she couldn´t use force to get him to come back. She reared back her fist, ready to punch this stupid idiot to oblivion.

He caught her fist effortlessly and twisted it enough to nearly break her arm, without looking. She yelped out in pain and drew back her fist, surprised at his awareness. But this made it even worse. He was actively ignoring her! He knew she was there all along! Huffing, she checked herself to ensure that she wasn´t injured, which thankfully, she wasn´t. She stood up, her rage intensifying. What was so important that it made him ignore her?! She thought that at least, he might have the basic human decency to – oh, right. Alien.

Sighing, she simply told him that dinner would be ready soon, so he should hurry it up. To which he responded by holding up a single finger, making her pause. So, it would only take one minute, eh? Well, she might as well wait, seeing as she enjoyed the view. Besides, she was curious at what exactly he spent his whole day working on.

After a short minute, Rider stood up, and looked at his work, then the scenery, seemingly satisfied with himself. He beckoned Koneko over, and showed her his work. At first, she couldn´t believe what she was seeing. It was…so damn…real. Looking back and forth between paper and scenery. It was a perfect match. Every last detail was captured, the clouds, the woods, the city reflecting the sunset, hell, even the damn scratches on the rocks next to him were shown in amazing detail. She was speechless. She may be a quiet person in general, but this truly made her speechless. She looked at him, and nodded dumbly. He may be a weak-willed pervert, but anything he touched seemed to turn into something amazing. He fought like a champion, experienced gruelling torture but broke free, and now was apparently also a crack artist.

She seriously considered giving him back her respect. This could be sold for a whole lot of money in the right circles. Hell, he could probably buy a house with the money he would get for this painting alone! Rider, being simply satisfied with a good review ( ***hint, hint*)** picked up his stuff, and gestured for her to follow. She obliged, still speechless. But as they descended, she felt a slight pain in her chest. She didn´t know why, but she wanted to ask him about that day. That day when he gave in to his urges. Because she had a feeling that he really didn´t, and it was just her Senpai caring for him, in her own way. Or it was her attempt at teasing him again. Anyways, the pain was getting annoying, and she wanted to deal with it quickly.

"Hey." He turned toward her. "Why was your arm in Senpai´s breasts the other day?" she said, looking at him with an inquiring look. He raised an eyebrow, put down his satchel, then punched his temples, then made a drinking motion, easing her worries. SO he just had a headache and she made him some tea. So it was just her Senpai being herself. Though she couldn´t supress a giggle when she saw that he had actually hurt himself when he whacked himself in the head.

"I´ll help. Hand me those." She said, pointing at the satchel of pens he held, which he gratefully handed over to her, dedicating the hand to massaging his hurting temples. After a while, they arrived at the mansion, and the others were just as speechless when they saw the painting, which brought on another forward attempt of seduction from Akeno, which ended, as usual, in failure. Koneko giggled at that. Akeno looked at her first in surprise, then smiled. It appears that their misunderstanding had been resolved. Excellent. What was less excellent was Rias chastising her immediately after, due to Issei nearly passing out from blood loss, and Asia taking notes on how to properly seduce men. Upon hearing this, Rider emitted a dark aura, took away the notebook before tossing it into the fire place, and pointing to the highest mountain. Then, he pointed at the dinner table, himself, and set the timer on his stopwatch to ten minutes.

Oh, shit. Well, Akeno immediately started running, though she doubted that he would be so cruel as to eat dinner without her. So, in the end, she took thirty minutes to reach the summit. What she didn´t expect, was to meet Rider again up here. She wanted to start teasing him about this being a romantic rendezvous, but paled upon seeing the stopwatch in his hand, set to five minutes as he drew his sword. It was that night that she learned to never teach Asia anything dirty as she was chased back to the mansion. In the end, all that was left to eat was a single plate of salad, and sandwiches. She went to bed, but Rider made sure that the following morning, she would receive a hearty breakfast. He wasn´t that mean.

As he went to sleep, Koneko smiled. She had seen the chase and any doubts she had felt about his statement from earlier about his relationship with the ´Goddess´ upon seeing him go to the peak were dispelled at the sight. She felt warm on the inside. She did not know why, but she did. Before she closed her glowing golden eyes, she whispered a single sentence:

"Good night, ´Mister Samurai´."

 **WELL, BLOODY FINALLY! THE TRAINÌNG ARC IS OVER! YES! NOW WE CAN GET TO THE GOOD SHIT! Now, if you read very attentively, mainly the bold bits, you might notice that the bit about reviews would go here, but since I´m a ballsy motherfucker, I just put it in the chapter itself! HA! Now, you´ll never know what´s chapter and what´s A/Ns! I´m so evil! MUAHAHAHA! Anyways, I made this a much longer chapter than the last, mainly because a) it´s my way of apologizing for the shorter one I uploaded last time, and b) it was so much easier to write. Well, nothing else to say, really. Next time, the Rating Gme will begin, the plot will unfold, yadda yadda yadda. Look forward to that! I´ll hopefully see you beautiful sons of guns next time! Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A wild new chapter appears! So, before anything, put on some relaxing guitar music, because it´s time to sit by the fire place, all nice and cosy, and answer the reviews.**

 **Goldenclaw: Haven´t heard of Tamatoa before, so I looked him up. I was originally going to say that Hermie from Mario and Luigi SS was the most majestic, but this guy ticks all the boxes. He shall have a shrine built in his name. Oh, and about the Line: I like what he´s supposed to be as well, but the problem I have with this tranquil fury shit is the fact that the bosses have a severe lack of balls. And not the orange ones. Seriously. Half the fight the guy cowers behind shields or stands on pillars doing NOTHING. He only reflects your attacks. I prefer bosses like the Hand, who come right at you, and don´t rely on your actions to create pressure.**

 **ultima-owner: I think you´re a bit hasty on the romance, my boy. Or girl. Could be both. Actually, hang on. Rule 30. No girls on the internet. So, my boy, I think that you´re a bit too hasty when it comes to the romancing of the characters. I´ll say it now, the only one who has a crush on anyone is Asia. Rias was just teasing in the last chapter. Just to clear that up. If someone does fall in love, then generally, I´ll write from their perspective for a while to establish it, so look out for those bits.**

 **blessingpilot4: Well, I hope that the early arrival of this one satisfies you, and that you enjoy it.**

 **Anon(1): Yeah, well, you see, haven´t seen season 3, so…dafuq is a Vritra? Jk, looked it up, and I´ll tell you now, nothing will happen to the Sacred Gears. Those will stay with their owners.**

 **Anyways, thanks to anyone who reviewed, but before we begin, I´ll just say two things: One, the second half of the chapter was slightly rushed, so it may not be up to the standard of the first half. Second:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN MY OWN IDEAS. HIGHSCHOOL DXD AND FURI BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. SHUTTING DOWN…**

 **Goddamn it, Steve! You told me you fixed the damn thing! It still gives away that it´s a bot! Oh, you´re still here. …ACTION!**

 _Issei opened his eyes, only to be greeted by complete darkness. He looked around, and sure enough, there was nothing here. Suddenly, in front of him, a tiny flame appeared. He walked towards it, but found himself stopping upon realizing just how hot it was. In fact, it was growing, bigger and bigger, making him step back a few feet. After it had grown quite a bit, it shrunk again, confusing him, before it exploded in a blinding light, making him close his eyes with a yelp of surprise. After he opened them again, he gulped. In front of him, in a sea of flames, stood a huge, scale-clad creature, it´s slit eyes looking him up and down, judging him. It´s tail banged the floor, and it let out a deafening roar, making Issei hold his ears shut. After it stopped, it opened its mouth, and started speaking._

" **So, you are my new partner, eh? You look pathetic and weak."** _It said, snorting a bit. It was then that Issei realized that the beast was, in fact, a FREAKING DRAGON! His knees shook a bit, before he calmed down a bit. He had learned that staying calm was always the best way to approach any problem. So, he thought about the dragon´s words, and was relieved when he understood the implications of the word "partner". They were on the same level. In other words, he was not the beast´s lunch. So, he looked it right in the eyes._

" _Who are you, and where am I?" he asked, trying to hide his fear, though the dragon seemed to catch on, but pay it no heed._ **"My name is Ddraig, boy. You should remember it, and we´re bound till death do us part. So, to make it short, I´m the soul from which your gauntlet was made, and we´re in your head. Basically, I´m the guy who always shouts BOOST whenever you power up."** _It spoke, patiently waiting for the boy´s questions. Of which he had many. "So, wait a second. You were the one who talked to me during the duel? Also, what so you want?"_ **"Smart kid. The reason why I decided to finally introduce myself, is the two problems that we, as a team, face currently. First, there is still part of my power that is sealed off. I assume it was your dear Madame President who did this. It was smart, too. Otherwise you might´ve killed yourself using power that is beyond your capabilities. But now, you should be able to handle more flashy abilities because of your training, so tell her to get rid of her seal. Honestly, it was about time. You were by far the weakest partner I had before this. But now, you´re finally making use of your potential."** _It grinned maniacally._ **"Don´t betray my expectations, now. You still have quite a few battles to face, and there´s one man in particular you need to fight."**

 _Issei was overjoyed at the dragon´s reveal, so much so in fact, that he didn´t hear that last bit about the man he´ll need to fight. He was now strong enough to actually handle true power? That would help him finally pay back the President! Also, it seems as if he gained Ddraig´s respect. That, in and of itself, was amazing. How many people could say for themselves that they were the respected partner of a freaking dragon?! But there was something still bugging him. "And the other problem?" The dragon´s grin disappeared, and he narrowed his eyes, seemingly becoming very agitated._

" **The other problem lies within the man who got you this far. It´s the man you and your friends call ´Mister Samurai´. Though, that is an absolutely brilliant name. Give the blonde kid a cookie for that. Anyways. The man is dangerous. Sooner or later, he will turn on you. And he will wipe out anyone who stands in his way. Do you understand? Once he does, you will have no way of beating him, you´re simply too weak. And knowing your dear President, she´ll try and stop him. And everyone else will, too. They´ll all die. You must ensure, whatever happens, that that man leaves as soon as possible."** _Ddraig spoke, closing his eyes in the end. Issei, having been revealed the new threat, was conflicted. On one hand, he had noticed how weird his teacher had been acting after his little nap, and he knew what power he held, so obviously, there might be some truth to the dragon´s words. However, there was no way. There was simply no way that the man he knew would be like that. He didn´t know him for too long, but he saw that he had his heart in the right place. He wouldn´t betray them. Ever._

" _And why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be lying to me. After all, why would he ever betray us like that?" he asked in a defiant tone, making the tail whip the ground again._ **"INSOLENT FOOL! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KNOW WHY!"** _the ground shook as the dragon roared these words. He calmed down quickly, realizing that aggressiveness wouldn´t get them far. "_ **Let me tell you something. That man and I have a history together. He might not remember it because it was so long ago, but he is starting to recall it. So, if you want any hope of survival, you must ensure that he doesn´t remember it before he leaves. Do you understand?"** _Issei nodded, still shaking from the outburst Ddraig had before, and he reminded himself to never piss off the dragon._ **"Anyway, that´s all I had to tell you. Also, I´ll wake you up. Your body is reacting quite…interestingly to our conversations. You´ll see what I mean."** _Before Issei could question the dragon further, he was hit by the light again._

Issei´s eyes shot open, and he was greeted with a familiar face, which thankfully was sleeping. He was, much to his dismay, hugging the person, probably because the dragon scared him shitless and his inner child wanted to cuddle his teddy bear. Or in this case, his teddy Kiba. Issei turned bright red, and tried to slowly take away his arms from the Knight. It wasn´t easy, seeing as the other boy was a light sleeper, and Issei knew that. So, ever so slowly, he edged his arms from under the blonde, ever closer to freedom. He nearly had a heart attack when Kiba seemed to wake up, taking a long breath, akin to a hearty yawn, but thankfully, it was just that, a slightly longer breath. It probably had something to do with his dream, if he even had any.

Finally, after a long and tedious minute and a half, Issei had freed his arms, and was smiling happily. No awkward moments out of a Yaoi anime for him and the man he hated! Then, he took notice of his dire need of emptying his bowels. He rushed to the bathroom, and found sweet, sweet release. After washing his hands, he exited the lavatory, and took a moment to look through the window. The night was clear, and the moon illuminated the valley in a beautiful light. Normally, he wouldn´t appreciate this, but after the painting his teacher had shown him at dinner, he couldn´t help but admire the beauty of this scene. He chuckled. It seems that the man had done more than just teach him how to fight. He had shown him how to appreciate the simple beauties of nature.

As he continued to look around the scenery, he noticed a small hut next to a pond he hadn´t seen before, and there was someone standing in it, looking up at the sky. He looked closer, but couldn´t make out any facial features or hair colours from his point of view. So instead, he looked at the person´s breasts, and judging from their size, it was either Akeno or Rias. Then, the person moved a bit, making the breasts jiggle a bit. Yep, it was his master. Akeno´s jiggled ridiculously much, the President´s breasts were firmer and jiggled less, but were a bit smaller. A fair tradeoff. He wondered what she was doing out so late. He decided to ask her, and took a coat of the hanger, seeing as she might be cold.

As he approached, her expression became visible to him, making him worry more. It was one of melancholy. He entered the little hut, and was about to start a conversation, when he noticed that her nightwear was see-through, making him blush profusely. He was only grateful that he wasn´t standing in the light, otherwise their conversation might´ve ended up with a tease session.

"Um, President? What are you doing out here?" he asked, making her turn around in surprise. As she did, he had to marvel at her beauty. Sure, she was beautiful in general, but with the moonlight in the background it gave her some extra flair that complemented her crimson hair perfectly. Also, jiggling tits aside, her surprised expression was kind of cute, in a way. As he was entranced by this scene, somehow, Rias managed to lose her footing, and was about to fall over. To Issei, everything beforehand seemed to last a century and a half. The next few moments would feel much shorter, though, as he saw her fall, but jumped forward, catching her before she hit the ground.

And with ´catching´, I mean she landed on him, his face deep in her breasts. His mind went blank from the sensation. So this was it. This was what heaven felt like. To his dismay, time seemed to flow normally again, so Rias stood up shortly after, embarrassed by her mishap. She played it off, though, and the two sat down on one of the nearby benches.

"Issei. You won´t speak of this to anyone." "Yes, President." She sighed in relief. Well, this was awkward. She coughed, and restarted the conversation. "So, you wanted to know why I´m out here, right?" she asked, to which he nodded. "Well, I was just thinking, about my life in general, you know? Nobody seems to care about ´Rias´. They all only care about the heiress to the Gremory Clan. When they look at me, they speak respectful, but not because they respect me. No, they only respect me because of my brother and father. Nobody seems to truly care about me." She sighed wistfully. "I´m sorry. I shouldn´t be burdening you with this sort of-" she was cut off by an indignant Issei. "THAT´S NOT TRUE! WE ALL CARE ABOUT YOU. AKENO-SENPAI CARES ABOUT YOU, SO DO KONEKO-CHAN, ASIA, THAT BASTARD KIBA, AND EVEN MISTER SAMURAI CARES ABOUT YOU!" calming down, he added: "A-and I care about y-you too, President." His blush returned, and he prayed to – nope, not making that mistake again – some majestic deity, that was watching from above that Rias couldn´t see it.

Thankfully, she was blown away by his words to such an extent that she didn´t notice his apparent embarrassment. She found a rock on the floor to be quite interesting, and directed her gaze toward it while she digested his words. So everyone here cared about her, huh…? She smiled. Yeah, they did. Why did she ever doubt that? She wasn´t only their master, she was their friend. Though she giggled when she thought about something, catching Issei´s attention, who thought to have been betrayed by the Majestic Gods who had allowed her to see his blush. Just in case, he asked what was so funny.

"You called him Mister Samurai, too." Huh. Yeah, that was funny. They shared a round of laughter at that. They really needed to come up with a better name for him. Or not. The name was just too funny. He reminded himself to buy a pack of cookies for Asia as thanks for that brilliant name. After their mirth died down, Rias turned to him, smiling.

"Thank you. I needed that. I shouldn´t be thinking these sorts of things right before the battle. You know, if you want, after the Rating Game, we can talk about your reward. Maybe this time, with no time limit." She said, as she stood up, only to be hit by a cold breeze, making her shiver. Issei, noticing this, thanked the Majestic Gods and draped the coat he picked up earlier over her shoulders. She looked at him, and though he looked away in embarrassment, she smiled at him thankfully, and gave him a peck on the cheek. "My, thank you, Sir Knight. Might you escort me back to my room, as well?" she asked, giggling as her teasing made the Pawn stutter incoherently, until she gave him a hug.

"Thank you. For everything you did tonight." She said, before turning around, leaving. It was nice to know that Issei, while perverted as nobs, was such a gentleman, too. As she left, she didn´t notice, but Issei was having a mild seizure, having experienced the sensation of those mounds of heaven pressed onto his chest. After a while, he finally regained control of his body, and decided it was enough stimulation for one night, and went back to his room to sleep.

In the morning, they all woke up at a later time than usual, seeing as they needed their sleep for the match later, though Rider made sure that someone cooked Akeno a larger portion at breakfast than usual, as a payback for the smaller portion she received the day before, which naturally resulted in the Queen trying to imply romantic motives behind his actions, though she stopped quickly upon being threatened that this meal would disappear as well if she kept it up. And so, the morning went by without any incident, though when Kiba mentioned, contrary to popular belief, that the night was quite hot, Issei immediately tried to change the topic, which resulted in a few raised eyebrows, though nobody thought long on it, much to the pervert´s relief. Later, after having packed all their stuff and having made sure nothing was forgotten, Akeno cast her teleport, making them fade from the mansion without a trace.

They all arrived at the clubhouse unharmed, and agreed to meet here again at noon, since the match didn't begin until then. Rider was brought back to the cathedral, where he spent most of his time patting himself on the shoulder for his great work, though he was slightly miffed for not being allowed to beat up the arrogant bastard himself. After an hour or two, Akeno teleported in to pick him up, as everyone agreed that he should observe the battle to at least get some amount of satisfaction when the prick was beaten to a pulp. Though she, as a devil, naturally hated entering a cathedral, she wanted to pick him up herself, if not to tease him before they left.

This time, Rider nearly gave in to his urges, seeing as, well, she damn near did a bloody striptease in front of him, but he resisted, and whacked her over the head as usual. This made the Queen pout and put her clothes back on as she mumbled something about him being a party pooper, but Rider simply repeated his rather violent, if not comedic way to get the girl out of her teasing state and pull her back to reality. She stopped pouting, but still rambled silently to herself as she teleported them back to the clubhouse, where the others had not yet arrived.

They sat on the couch and had some smalltalk with Rias, who was the only one present excluding Koneko, who was having a shower behind the curtains in the corner. Genius architect. Shortly after, Kiba arrived, living pretty close to the school, closely followed by Koneko, who had finished her shower pretty soon. Nary a minute later, Asia and Issei arrived, and so, they all had a round of tea made by Akeno to soothe their nerves before the battle. As they drunk, the door opened again, causing Rider to look at the people entering in confusion. It was two girls he did not know, and both of them looked rather formal, wearing glasses and the uniform of the school.

They introduced themselves to him as Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra. Upon hearing that this was the man who trained the peerage for the last week, they grew interested, and stayed to ask some questions. They had some minor difficulties at first due to Rider being a bit…mute, but with the aid of everyone present, it wasn´t too hard for them to adjust, and they had a nice talk. During this discussion, Rider found out that Sona was a devil as well, and Tsubaki was her Queen, and that Sona was Rias´ childhood friend and rival. After their talk, a circle appeared on the floor, out of which the maid from a week ago emerged. She announced that the Rating Game would begin soon, and that Sona should go to her post as announcer. After the devil left, the temperature of the room increased, and who would´ve thought it, Riser appeared in a burst of fire, that cocky grin on his face.

"Well, my dear Rias, I have come to wish you luck. I know that you´ll need it. After all, even if you trained, there is simply no way for you to win. I have the numerical advantage, and the better equipment. So, I´ll give you a chance to give up now, so as to not embarrass yourself too much in front of your family." He said, the grin growing wider, and though Issei wanted to move forward to punch him for even suggesting that, Rias shot him a look that made him stand down. She stood up, and walked up to the Phenex heir.

"Riser, I´ll tell you one thing. We´ve trained with a man that is a lot more powerful than you. We´ve sweated, bled, and cried our way through the last week. Taking your offer now would only disrespect their efforts, and his expectations. So, with all due respect, go fuck yourself." She said, shocking not only Riser, but everyone else as well. When did the definition of elegance and grace develop such a foul tongue? And though Grayfia was neutral and the peerage recovered quickly. Riser was infuriated. How could this little bitch be so damn cocky?! He was RISER, DAMMIT! So what if she trained with the best?! He would crush this mightiest of men in front of her, and then, THEN she would be his. No hope should remain for her!

He looked straight at Rider. "It´s you, isn´t it? This man who´s supposedly so much stronger than me? Well, I´ll tell you what. I´ll allow you to participate. You will join her side for this battle, and then I´ll crush you both!" he shouted, before he disappeared in an inferno. The room temperature dropped. Grayfia excused herself, saying she needed to inform Rias´ family of this. The others just looked at each other in disbelief.

"Did…that really just happen?" Issei asked, to which the others nodded.

"Did he really just hand us the free win?" the others nodded again.

There was only silence as they were teleported to the battlefield. Then, they found themselves in the same room as before. It was then that it truly sunk in. First, there was only silent chuckling. Soon, it turned into full blown laughter. The viewers seeing this on their screens, namely the Gremory and Phenex clan, thought they´d gone insane. Sona was speechless. She had just been told of the latest development, and now she sees this. Did they really have such confidence in this man?

Rias calmed down first, and told her peerage that they should as well, as they shouldn´t just rely on Rider. That would not do them any good in the long run, as the Phenexes could claim that the victory was void, as Rider technically wasn´t allowed to fight here. The next moment, a few white balls appeared in everyone´s hand, which Rias told them to put in their ear. This was essentially their only way of communication during this battle, as she had explained during training.

Issei then voiced his confusion about the room not having changed, to which Rias responded by opening the window, which blew Issei´s mind. The previously sunlit sky was green. The King explained that the Rating Game took place in a pocket dimension, which had been designed after their school. Finally, they looked at the map of the arena on the desk. It showed a large building in the middle, and a large open area around it, to the northwest labelled ´trackfield´. And the area to the south which encompassed half the bloody map was labelled ´woods´. At to the northeast stood Riser´s HQ, opposite to theirs, which was nestled in the southwest of the map, in the woods.

And so, after formulating their plan, which started with laying half a dozen traps around their HQ, Rias gave orders. Rider, Asia and Issei were to stand by in HQ, while Akeno, Kiba and Koneko set up a perimeter around it. Though Issei protested, she responded by reminding him of the absoluteness of her orders, and told him to lay his head in her lap, which he gladly did. She then gave him a peck on the forehead, much to Asia´s chagrin, and told him to wait as she undid the seal.

Suddenly, Rider felt like something was very wrong. His headaches returned, stronger than ever, and he felt a force that seemed to tear him apart from the inside. He groaned loudly as he held his head, the pain almost becoming unbearable. Then, as suddenly as it came, it vanished. He shook himself, and signalled the others that he was okay, though their worried expressions remained. He just hoped that these headaches would stop. He really wanted to stomp the prick into the ground, in fact, he never felt more motivated to thrash the bastard. Finally, the voice of Sona resounded throughout the school, signalling the start of the battle.

"Let the Rating Game begin!"

 **BOOM! DONE! First chapter of the new arc! WOOHOO! So, as the hardcore fappers - er, Highschool DxD fans might´ve guessed, I simplified the arena A LOT. Like, holy shit, I took away about half a dozen buildings because they were never really used in the whole thing. So yeah. Leave a review, pretty please, and I hope to see ya next time! Bye!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Know what no one expects? THE SPANISH INQUI – wait, wrong joke. THE SUPER QUICK CHAPTER SPAM! HAHA! So, let´s just deal with the reviews so we can get to the good stuff.**

 **ultima-owner: First off, holy hell, that was fast. I literally uploaded the chapter, came back ten minutes later, and BAM! One, single, review. So, thanks for being so enthusiastic about my work. Next, yeah, this is the moment we´ve all been waiting for, not just you. I couldn´t wait to finally be at the point where some actual shit happens.**

 **CrowSkull: Well, I´m stumped. Though for a very specific battle, I want you to search ´Immortalized´ from Disturbed. I won´t tell you which, but I´ll tell you when to press Play. Hang on, found something: try ´He´s a Pirate´. I know he isn´t one, but that shit works with everything. Trust me. In fact, found something else already. Strength of a Thousand Men – Two Steps from Hell. Quite the epic piece. Oh, by the way, you´re welcome.**

 **So, since those were the only two that reviewed, time for the shortest recap ever!**

„Let the Rating Game begin!"

 **Now, let´s jump in right where we left off! Screw the disclaimer, I wrote two of those already! LET´S-A-GO!**

And so, the three with orders took off to set up the perimeter as the Pawn, Bishop and Rider remained with the King to protect her until the seal on Issei´s Sacred Gear was undone. While he was happy to finally be allowed to use his power freely, as was Ddraig, he was more focused on the fact that for the first time, a girl let him use her lap as pillow. He had his trademark perverted grin on his face, drooling ever so slightly. The sensation was truly a delight. No wonder the boys with girlfriends kept bragging about it. This felt amazing. At the same time, he felt the seal being lifted. It was like something was tied up, and he felt the ropes being unravelled, slowly at first, then, due to the power struggling, it was undone faster and faster.

At the same time, Rider´s headaches were getting worse and worse, as if something was pounding against a wall, trying to break it, but failing, only giving him this splitting headache. While he was grunting in pain, Asia offered to alleviate his pain, though he declined, saying she needed to save her energy to heal more serious wounds of the others. But, stubborn as she was, she insisted, and so he let her try, at least for a second or two. It didn´t help, much to Asia´s despair. So even with her training, she couldn´t help her friend when he needed her? Just how useless was she?

Rider, noticing her frustration, patted her head to calm her down, and played it off as an allergy to the tea they had drunk a minute ago. Meanwhile, Issei felt the seal be completely undone, and wanted to stand up and test his power immediately. But, seeing in which position he was, he decided to rest a while longer.

It took a while, but soon, they got the signal from the others to move out. Rias ordered Asia to wait, and Rider would take Issei and meet up with Koneko at the edge of the woods. The two took off immediately, telling a worried Asia that they´d be back soon. While they ran to the rendezvous point, Rider felt the banging in his head grow stronger, feelings of bloodlust running through his veins, directed at Issei. He forcefully suppressed them, and soon they saw Koneko, who was crouched in the bushes and waved them over.

They all sat there, observing the gym. The lights were off, so maybe there weren´t any enemies inside. Their job was to lure them in and take them all out in one fell swoop. So they rushed toward the back door, and entered. If no one was here, they´d turn on the lights to attract attention. Though, as they arrived on the back of a stage, the lights turned on, prompting them to take cover behind the big curtains.

"HEY! WE KNOW YOU´RE BACK THERE! COME OUT AND FACE US!" a female voice screamed, and after agreeing that trying to ambush them would be pointless, they jumped out of cover, weapons drawn, or, in Koneko´s case, she tightened her fingerless gauntlets. Their enemy consisted of four girls, out of which Rider and Issei recognized one, as it was the one who knocked out Issei back then. It seemed that she had replaced her wooden staff with one made of iron, which she swung cockily.

"Well, let us introduce ourselves before we get this thing started. I am Xuelan, a Rook of Master Riser." Said the obvious leader of the group, who wore a rather revealing Chinese Cheongsam and took a Kung Fu stance.

"I am Ile! I´m a Pawn!" "I am Nel! I´m a Pawn!" said the twins who were dancing around each other, making their introduction pointless as it was impossible to tell who was who during their dance. They had turquoise hair and wore a simple white t-shirt paired with black shorts. They spun around again, before drawing two…chainsaws? And then they posed as well.

And finally, the last one simply spun around her staff before posing and saying that she needed no introduction. Our friends watched this spectacle with mild interest before turning to each other. "I think these kids watch too much Powah Rangers." Said Issei, Koneko nodding in agreement, and Rider just facepalming from the sheer stupidity as he didn´t know what these ´Powah Rangers´ were. These kids were not supposed to be on the battlefield. Honestly. They were just as bad as Issei when he began training. Actually, scratch that. These ones could apparently fight. Welp, sorry, Issei.

The girls, hearing this exchange, had mixed reactions. Some were infuriated, others saw their suspicions confirmed and silently cursed Riser for making them introduce themselves like this. "So, you think this is ridiculous, huh?! Well, take this!" Xuelan shouted, jumping into the air and using her downward momentum for a drop kick, which was headed straight for Issei. However, Koneko rushed forward and caught her foot, spun around once and flung the martial artist right into the stage, breaking it´s floor. "I´ll take her. You deal with the kids." She said, rushing into her fight.

"Alright. I´ll have my revenge. You deal with the twins, ok?" Issei asked Rider, who nodded and entered a defensive stance as the two girls ran at him, weapons raised. They laughed just like children would when frolicking about in a big, open meadow on a nice summer day, though the chainsaws made it nearly impossible to hear. Rider was careful. Even if he could beat them easily one on one, being ganged up upon can be the downfall of the greatest warrior. As seen when he lost to damn near a hundred soldiers. And those were not even close to the level these devils fought on.

"Big bro, could you do us a favour?" the twin Rider presumed to be Nel asked him, causing him to raise his guard. He wouldn´t be tricked so easily. "Could you please die?" said the other. Okay, that sentence was laced with enough sweetness to give a healthy young man diabetes. Luckily, Rider was a bit too traumatised to be truly affected, and so he blocked the attack of the first twin effortlessly before swiping away at her feet with a kick, making her almost fall into her sister, who barely dodged it, only to get a slashed in the abdomen, making her cough and fall to her knees.

Rider then focused on the other twin who had risen up again and was swinging her saw around wildly in an attempt to protect her sibling, which resulted in her weapon being smacked out of her hand with relative ease. Before she could go over and pick it up, a well-placed kick hit her leg, making her fall down and hold it in pain. Meanwhile, psycho-kid #2 had stood up again, and lit her chainsaw on fire to intimidate Rider, though that didn´t exactly work as she couldn´t even properly stand. The weapon was sliced in two before she could even lift it up for a swing. Defeated, she fell back on her knees.

Rider observed the two, and came to the conclusion that these ones were pretty much done for, and decided to have a seat until the others were done with their respective fights. Both seemed to be going rather well, as Issei was dominating his opponent, probably because the Pawn wasn´t used to handling metal staves just yet. Koneko was doing well too, she was evading her opponents strong attacks and jabbing at her while she recovered, though her clothing was torn slightly, exposing a nipple. Rider looked right back to Issei, hoping no one saw the slight pink hue his armor took. He wouldn´t spoil his relationship with the Rook, that was for sure.

"Oh, so you can´t handle seeing naked girls, huh?" said one of the twins, spying a chance to beat the behemoth of a fighter. Rider looked at her, and his eyes widened when he saw that she wanted to take off her top. He immediately pulled it back down, ignoring a tiny voice in his mind that told him to let her go through with it, only to realize their ploy, as the chainsaw revved up behind him. Picking up his sword, he backflipped over the twin behind him, causing her attack to near hit her sibling, which made them scream in panic. For them, time slowed to an agonizing crawl, the weapon getting closer and closer to Ile´s face. But before it reached it, Rider chopped off the blade and smacked it through the wall right before it would´ve ripped through the girl´s right eye.

Shocked from their near death experience, the two hugged each other and cried, telling each other constantly that they were fine. Rider sighed, and looked at his comrades. Koneko had beaten her opponent, who lay on the floor, defeated, with torn clothes – nope, switching point of interest. Issei hadn´t beaten his opponent by the looks of it, but seemed confident that it would end with his next attack, though he stood quite a distance away from her.

"DRESS BREAK!"

And then, the Pawn´s clothes burst apart. Everyone´s eyes widened at the sight as the girl noticed, after a short period of shock, that she was wearing her birthday suit in front of everyone, including those watching on the TV screens. She immediately covered herself with her arms as best she could and screamed in embarrassment, blushing a deep shade of red. Issei had a proud grin on his face.

"Ha! Taste the power of my magic! It´s a move I perfected over the last week with the help of Asia! Honestly, it was either this or the power the see through clothes, but then I thought: hey, stripping them naked basically glues you in place. So obviously I picked this one!" he said, laughing maniacally. The Rook and two Pawns looked on in fear. "How terrible…" "I´m glad we didn´t fight him, Nel." "Yeah, the samurai guy was much nicer – hang on, where is he?"

They looked around for a while, until they felt a dark aura, and Issei stopped laughing. He turned around, and came face to face with a pissed off Rider. Slowly, it began to dawn on him. "I really shouldn´t have mentioned Asia, shouldn´t I?" Rider nodded. "Can we leave my punishment till after the match?" Rider nodded, and sheathed his sword slowly. Then he turned around and beckoned Koneko to follow as he walked towards the exit. When he reached the exit, he opened the door, and his two teammates left the building. As he exited the gym, he heard someone call out to him, and he turned around. It was the twins. They mouthed something before a satisfied smile formed itself on their face and the door slammed shut. Saddened, he turned around and walked away, the gym exploding from a gigantic lightning strike courtesy of Akeno. Their last words in the match were those of gratitude towards their enemy. The fact that Riser sent children to fight him in a possible battle to the death stoked the fire that was Rider´s rage only further. He would make him suffer for his misdeeds, that was for sure.

"Three Pawns and a Rook from Riser´s peerage have retired from the battle." Sona announced from her spectator´s seat. Frankly, she was amazed just how strong Rias´ team had become, particularly how strong her guest fighter was. He took on two Pawns and didn´t get hit, not even when they tried to trick him. He even showed the courtesy of not letting the twin´s head be shredded by her sister, which deserved some respect from anyone. Generally, warriors that were as strong as him had learned that compassion was only a hindrance on the battlefield, yet here he was, saving his enemy from their own mistake. It seems that Sona would have to try to enlist him as her own servant. He would be a valuable asset.

Meanwhile, Grayfia was observing the battle from behind the Gremory Clan´s seats, and was astounded. The man proved to be a very capable warrior, perhaps formidable enough to challenge her. She could tell that he was holding back. Something was bugging her, though. The men of the Gremory Clan had shocked looks on their faces, in fact, they had all been completely silent ever since they saw the face of the man. Did they know him? Perhaps he was a long lost relative? No, he looked more like a servant of God than any devil present. She looked over to the neighbours, and sure enough, the current Lord Phenex shared their silent, shocked expression.

Why were these men so shocked to see him? In fact, some of them even seemed…fearful of him. She looked at the screen, where Rider was handing a somewhat red-faced Koneko his jacket to cover up the ripped cloth. He seemed to be a gentle, caring man. Just what had he done to instil such fear in the hearts of these High-Class devils?

After having punched Issei for making a perverted comment about Rider, Koneko asked the President for orders, who told her to go to the trackfield with everyone else and draw the enemy´s attention. Still being disgusted from Issei´s comment and being a bit too embarrassed to stay around Rider, she walked a few feet ahead from them. Kiba was due to join them soon, right after cleaning up the enemy that snuck into HQ and triggered the Queen´s trap, which was illusory magic that basically made them walk in circles.

"Three Pawns from Riser´s peerage have retired."

There we go. Now all that was left to do was meet up near the trackfield and draw the enemy away from their HQ. In the meantime, she thought about Rider. It was nice to know that he was a decent enough human – er, living being to not just let her walk around with ripped clothes, like the pervert surely would. In fact, she glanced at him during her fight from time to time, thus having it last longer than it should´ve, but it allowed her to see two things: first, she saw him look at her, and upon seeing her breast, he looked away. But it wasn´t just cute because for the first time, she´d seen him embarrassed, something Akeno had tried to do for an entire week and still hadn´t managed, but the fact that his armor actually turned slightly pink.

She giggled. It made her happy that he saw her as a girl, not just a doll to put on a pedestal, and was embarrassed to see her, unfortunately, less than big boobs. Actually, she´d heard that some men prefer them smaller…was he one of them? She walked with a more confident step. She had bested the ´Goddess´ in one of her obsessions, and it satisfied her to no end. She´d have to tell this to her ally against the giant breasts. Or…she´d keep this a secret.

She wouldn´t want to jeopardize her relationship with her teacher. Mainly because she respected him greatly now, after having also witnessed his rescue of the girl, that might have been an enemy, but was treated with mercy. It took a lot from seasoned warriors to show compassion to their enemies, hell, it took a lot from anyone to do it. It was something that earned him a lot of respect.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? She might respect him and like him as a person, but here she sounded like a fan girl of a celebrity! Sighing, she turned her head to look at him. He was currently threatening Issei because of his disgusting new trick, with Akeno hovering above them, giggling at their exchange. The Rook stood still for a moment, wanting to let them catch up. In the meantime, she took a moment to drink in the feeling of his jacket. It was smooth, almost like velvet, and thick enough for the winter. And yet, it was not overly warm inside, probably due to some alien tech.

But the thing that she liked the most was the scent. It smelled of nature, that´s just the best way to describe it. It was as if one had condensed the smell of every flower in the woods into a single perfume, mixed in a bit of wood, and washed the jacket with it. It reminded her of that evening. The one where it was just the two of them, on the top of the world, looking down on it as he captured the moment, not just the visuals, but somehow, just like this jacket, one could almost smell the woods from it, hear the birds singing, even the rabbit running away from the fox with it´s young. The only thing bugging her was that the jacket was too bloody big. Seriously, it felt like it was a long dress, with sleeves that were twice as long as her arms.

She woke herself from her trance, blushing slightly. Alright, now she sounded like Asia when she talked about the cursed pervert! She wasn´t in love! She looked up, and the others were still a fair distance away. She called out to them, telling them to hurry up. That´s when she saw something behind them. It was too far away, so the only thing she could make out were a big bust and a magic circle on her hand. She quickly concluded that this was the enemy´s Queen, and charged forward, rushing to her comrade´s side, who looked at her in confusion.

It was nearly too late when Koneko reached them and shoved them out of the way. Before they even got far, they realized that there was a circle beneath them, a spell on it´s way. Rider looked at the Rook, who was smiling, tears in her eyes. "I´m sorry. Give them hell for me." She said, accepting her fate and ignoring Issei´s and Rias´ voices of worry over the communicator. It was better like this. He was of much more use to President than she would ever be. Also, she wanted him to not get hurt. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable spell that would tear right through her weak defense against magic.

Suddenly, she felt something tug at her arm. Weird. Riser´s Queen was known as the ´Bomb Queen´ for her explosions, not for some gravity spells. The tug rapidly turned into a forceful pull, and her eyes shot open. Rider was holding her hand. But how? She´d pushed him out of the way! And now here he was, saving her from certain defeat! She had no choice but to give in to her knight in glowing blue armor as he spun on the spot and tossed her into Issei, making them fly away quite a bit. When she landed, she just had enough time to cry out to him as he blew up with a smile.

"Oh dear. What a romantic ending for our dear Sir Knight, saving the damsel in distress. How does it feel, I wonder…? To finally be useful to him, only to have him one up you again and save you instead?" said an unknown voice, cackling above. Enraged, Koneko looked at the offender. It was indeed Riser´s Queen, who goes by the name of Yubelluna. She had long, wavy purple hair, matching violet eyes and breasts that nearly rivalled those of Rias. She wore a dress consisting of a revealing upper half that exposed her cleavage rather generously, and the bottom half was opened around her left leg, showing of her thighhigh stockings.

She cackled again. "Just wait. Soon, we´ll hear the announcement of his retirement. Give it a minute." Koneko refused to believe it. He couldn't have been beaten by that. Sure, she might be a powerful devil, but the Rook knew of his power! He took hits from Akeno headon in a sparring match and only was affected mentally! He couldn´t give in so easily! Her stomach turned upside down when she heard a voice she really did not want to hear right now.

"The special fighter from Rias´ team has…"

 **Huehuehuehue! Cliffhanger! MUAHAHAHA! Well, this is a wonderful start to the new arc that will, probably not even last five chapters, to be honest. It´s quite a shame, really. But hey. At this rate, that will take no time, and you´ll get fresh, juicy plot and meatballs! By the way, you pay for the meatballs. And no, I won´t order them for you. DEAL WITH IT. And so, I´ll leave you here, in despair of not knowing whether the bastard survived. ANYWAY, review please, it helps out a bunch, and consider dropping by again soon! Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**And thus, our adventure continues. Already. Well, to the reviews!**

 **DarkBlight: Well, it´s been quite a while, hasn´t it? Glad that you´re enjoying it, and a big thanks for the myriad of compliments. They really mean a lot to me. Anyways, this story will continue onward, no worries there, mainly because I have big plans for this fic. So, I hope to see you again soon!**

 **ultima-owner: Thanks for the good review of the fighting, I was a bit worried about those being too short or boring to read. And as for the banging in his head…yeah, let´s call it a memory.**

 **Goldenclaw: Well, yeah, it was kind of obvious, wasn´t it? While I am glad that this arc finally took off, the fact that he is who he is makes the whole thing kind of pointless for the enemies. However, you misunderstood something: Riser is not scared, only his family watching from their seats are. He himself is still the cocky prick we all know and hate.**

 **So, enough chit-chat, let´s get to the good shit! Wait, what´s that? Disclaimer? Screw the disclaimer, I have money! And yes, references 4 dayz, m8.**

„The special fighter from Rias´ team has…"

Sona said, fully expecting Rider to not get out of the dust cloud. After all, he literally just got hit by a great magic explosion, from a Queen that was quite powerful, no less. Even a higher class devil would struggle to come out unscathed, particularly because Riser´s fiery nature gave all his servants enhanced pyro kinetic abilities, which in combination with explosive magic was absolutely devastating.

"…retir-" but her announcement was interrupted by a ball of energy flying out of the dust, grazing Yubelluna´s cheek, who let out a yelp of surprise and clasped a hand over the cut to stench the blood flow. She looked at the cloud in surprise and anger, not expecting him to survive, and watched in horror as the dust settled, revealing a Rider who was without a single scratch, albeit his limbs were smoking a fair amount. In his hand, he held his trusty handgun, with which he was charging another shot, making it buzz in a high pitch.

The Queen knew she couldn´t evade it, and erected a barrier to ward it off, although she barely managed to do so before the shot was fired, nearly blasting right through her spell. As the ball of energy dissipated, she wanted to fire another spell at him, but stopped when she saw that he´d vanished. She looked around frantically, searching for the enemy.

Rider had, in fact, disappeared for a simple reason: he had gathered his comrades during the short time during which the ´Bomb Queen´ was distracted and had brought them into the woods, giving them shelter. He told them to contact Rias and ask for orders for him before darting out of cover and shooting a barrage of bullets into the enemy´s direction, who had little trouble blocking the shots, seeing as they weren´t charged.

Meanwhile, Akeno was still flying overhead, having evaded the first explosion and being consequently ignored after, which annoyed her slightly, but that changed when Rias gave her the order to battle the Queen. She licked her lips. This would be fun. While she hadn´t really exhausted herself, her enemy was severely weakened already, having taken two charged bullets that drain a lot of stamina to block. Akeno would be enjoying this. She waved at Rider, and pointed toward the trackfield, to which the supersoldier nodded before dashing out of sight and into the woods.

Yubelluna wanted to blast the forest to smithereens, seeing as the whole group was probably there, but was struck by lightning in her back, making her scream in pain before turning around, her cool demeanour gone, replaced by a furious expression. Issei looked back one last time before leaving, and got a nosebleed, before he was dragged along by Rider rather forcefully. Why? Simple. Akeno had burned off the whole back part of her dress, exposing the Queen´s undergarments.

"Oh my. What´s with that look? This is a Rating Game. If a Queen is vulnerable, you shouldn´t expect the enemy to not take advantage of it. And look at you. You were so confident before, but now, after seeing what makes our guest a ´special´ fighter, you´ve dropped any sort of grace you might´ve had. Huhuhu…I´ll have to _punish you severely for that._ You give us Queens a bad reputation." Our favorite Queen said, lightning crackling at her fingertips. She had no doubts about winning this skirmish.

Our by far less favorite Queen did not answer, instead casting multiple explosions right around Akeno, who shrugged them off with her barrier, and retaliated with a huge burst of lightning, which Yubelluna redirected by throwing away one piece of jewellery, which melted nigh instantly. Akeno licked her lips again. This one was feisty. She always liked punishing those so much more.

She noticed Rider, who was observing the battle from the forest´s edge, and gave him an ever so subtle thumbs up. He nodded, and darted off behind his teammates. Yes. She´d win this one, he could count on that. When she did, perhaps she could ask for a _reward_ later. Yes, that would do it. That would fluster him. Oh, how she looked forward to seeing him embarrassed!

Rider caught up with the others, who had already grouped up with Kiba, and were waiting for their leader to arrive. Once they had joined forces, they looked over to the trackfield. Currently, there was no one in it. But that would change. Rider gave the command to charge, and they rushed into the open, Rider firing his gun into the windows of the school building overlooking the field, to maybe get a lucky hit, making the glass crack and fly all around the building. The others challenged the enemy loudly, which apparently got their attention as seven girls appeared in the field with the help of warp circles.

"You´re quite noisy, you know. Could you please show some respect and pipe down?" asked a floating girl that was about as tall as Koneko, albeit with larger breasts, much to said Rook´s annoyance, that had blonde hair that was done in twin drills, accentuated by a red headband, and was wearing a pink, frilly dress with some accessories that imitated a phoenix´ tail feathers. Honestly, she looked like a princess.

"Who the hell are you? You look too much like a princess to be part of that bastard´s peerage." Said Issei, speaking out everyone´s thoughts, to which the unknown girl grew slightly agitated. "Just so you know, that _bastard_ you´re talking about is my brother! You have no right to slander him!" she exclaimed in a high pitched voice, so much so that Rider thought she broke some intact windows on the school building.

"Well, someone has a temper. Wait, did you just say that you´re his sister? Judging how he treats everyone else in his peerage…don´t tell me you´re…!" Issei uttered, shocked as he backed away, the others following suit. A brocon/siscon relationship between blood siblings? Nope. NOPE. ALL OF THE NOPE. The girl was blushing now, stuttering indignantly, trying to dissuade those assumptions. "I-Idiot! We´re not like that! That´s disgusting! Why would you even think that! Pervert! Hmph!" she turned away with a huff, though the blush still persisted. As our friends sighed in relief, she decided to introduce herself.

"Anyway, just so you know, my name is Ravel. Ravel Phenex. I´m a Bishop, but I don´t actually fight. I´m just here to enjoy the show and give moral support. Mihae here is the one actually supporting with magic." She explained, gesturing toward a kimono-clad girl that stood next to her, who bowed politely upon being introduced. "Even though that´s unnecessary. We outnumber you, and I don´t want to waste any more time talking. Deal with them." She said, floating away from Rider and his team, who got out their weapons and took their stances as the enemy, excluding the two supporters, approached. The enemy team consisted of a girl clad in armor and a short white skirt wielding a short sword paired with a jagged dagger, presumably a Knight, a girl with a rather...light choice of armor that showed a gratuitous amount of cleavage, much to Issei´s joy, and had a Zweihander on her shoulder, which must´ve weighed at least a ton, which probably was Riser´s second Knight.

Beside them were two more twins with…cat ears? Rider was confused. Were these actual cat people? They were adorable. Where could he get one for himself? Anyway, the twins wore similar looking, very skimpy school uniforms, the only difference being the color of the stripes, one having blue ones, the other´s being red, matching the twin´s hair color. To put it short, their clothing nearly gave Issei a nosebleed, with the big amount of underboob shown. The team assumed that these were the remaining two Pawns.

The last opponent was wearing a mask over the right side of her face, and was actually almost dressed decently. There was still the ever present cleavage, though she covered it more than anyone else present, excluding Koneko and the two Bishops, and wore a military vest that was cut right below her breasts, exposing her belly, and had grey jeans on that had one leg cut off and replaced with a knee high stocking, showing off her thigh. She seemed to be a Rook, judging from her gloves that resembled Koneko´s.

Rider looked at his team, and silently assigned each their opponent. Kiba takes on the twins, as his sword birth could easily handle two opponents, and he was probably quicker than the two anyway. Issei takes on the Rook, as he could land a surprise hit with his…attack much easier on a slower opponent, and Koneko could take on the Knight with the Zweihander, as it was slow enough to be dodged easily and a single missed attack requires long time to recover, giving her ample time to either disarm or take out her opponent. Rider would take on the Knight with, well, the standard Knight setup. He was quick enough to react to her speed, and could probably slice through her thin weapons relatively easily.

How they could tell all this from a few seconds of eye contact they did not know, but the others nodded, and ran toward their respective opponent. Rider, meanwhile, slowly marched toward the female Knight, who drew her weapons and saluted him by holding her dagger over her other, stretched out arm. "I am Karlamine, a Knight of Master Riser! I accept your challenge!" Rider responded with a polite nod, and drew his crackling sword, boosting himself, his armor glowing a bright yellow. He would end this quickly. He had bigger fish to fry. Or rather, bigger rotisserie chicken to grill.

They charged at each other, their swords clashing, though the Knight used her speed to avoid any struggle. She was lacking in strength, which was why she relied on quick, critical hits to bring her opponent down. Rider picked up on this, and decided to play her game. He had beaten a cheater at her own game, after all, so beating a fair fighter should be much easier. He stood still, tracing her movements with his eyes, until she suddenly burst off, leaving no image. Rider grimaced. Probably magic. He looked at the Bishops, who stood there, uncaring as they watched a different battle. Alright, so she was really damn fast on her own. He closed his eyes, and focused on his hearing. The one sense that never betrayed him, and sure enough, he could hear it, the silent tapping of feet. But where? Where was she?

It seemed to be all around him, and yet nowhere. There was a simple solution to the problem. He drew his gun, activated the rapid fire he´d implemented the night before training with a few materials from his wingsuit, and spun around, shooting in every direction. The shots had poor range and a lot less power, only reaching about half the distance and damage his normal bullets did, but sure enough, he saw that from the hail of bullets, a few seemed to mysteriously vanish.

He focused his fire on the silhouette that was carved into his barrage, and after a while, the Knight landed on the ground, her clothing slightly torn, but uncaring about it as she rushed toward Rider, although her speed had been drastically reduced as her legs had taken more than just a few hits. She now was about the same speed as Kiba, and Rider could deal with that. He holstered his gun, and drew his sword just in time to parry her swing, and since she wasn´t as quick as before, Rider managed to push her back after a small struggle she could no longer run from, and smashed into her with his shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Before he could capitalize on it, though, he had to block the dagger she threw at him, giving her enough time to recover.

They stood there, and while the girl was panting heavily, having never been taxed so hard before, Rider´s breath was still even, and it was obvious to the both of them who would win this fight. The Knight, however, being undyingly loyal to her Master, lifted her sword for one, final attack. She rushed toward Rider, and swung her sword in a flurry of attacks which kind of reminded Rider of the Hand´s last stand, in a way. Her attacks, fast at first, became easier to parry as she continuously exhausted the last of her strength, before Rider decided to end this and evaded the last attack, resulting in the sword getting stuck in the ground.

Defeated, the Knight fell onto her knees. She could no longer buy time. He was simply too strong. But she wouldn´t fall dishonourably. "That was a fine duel. You win." She said, standing up, albeit her legs were shaking quite a bit, still being injured from the barrage earlier. "Now, put an end to this. Give me an honourable sendoff." She declared, opening her arms. Rider was stunned. He had never seen such honor, from anyone. He lifted his sword. It was only fair that he granted her request. With one, swift strike, the Knight still stood, unmoving. "Thank you…" she whispered, before being warped away.

"A Knight from Riser´s peerage has retired." Came the announcement, which made the opposing team pause. They looked at Rider, who was sheathing his sword, in a melancholic way. Another opponent he regretted slaying. He would make Riser pay. His blood started boiling. He would kill him. He was shaken out of his thoughts by the princess-y girl, who was screaming indignantly about her friend being beaten, and gave the order to eliminate him at all costs.

Which the others agreed with, but couldn´t comply, seeing as they each had their own battle to fight. And so, Rider stood there, alone with his thoughts, as he observed his comrades fighting. They were holding their own, dominating their opponents, though he did notice how Issei seemed to like to get a bit too close for comfort with his opponent, probably to use his Dress Break. As disgusting as it was, Rider couldn´t deny it´s efficiency. He hated it.

Next came an order from Rias, which caused him to look at the school. "Everyone, leave your current battle and get up to the roof of the school building! The tactic worked, but he was expecting us to attack while his women were gone! We need reinforcements to take him down! So, to those in the trackfield, finish them off quickly and get over here!" she ordered, a bit of desperation clear in her voice. Rider looked at his still fighting comrades, and nodded toward the building. They should get going. He could take care of the rest, and Rias needed all the help she could get.

Kiba nodded, and rushed toward the school. Issei looked at him, and grinned before snapping his fingers, activating Dress Break, taking the Rook out of the equation as she kneeled down and covered herself in embarrassment, and then followed suit. But before Koneko complied, she delivered one last, devastating punch right into the gut of the Knight, knocking her out. She then nodded, gave a small wave and took off behind the boys.

"The other Knight of Riser´s peerage has retired." Sona announced, before continuing her observations. Rider, in the meantime, had been surrounded by the cat twins, who were looking at him quite angrily, and were hissing. It wasn´t intimidating, though. It was so childish that either one had to cringe physically, or just go "Awww." at the sheer cuteness. Rider did the latter. Well, he held his heart and showed the fitting expression, but couldn´t exactly say anything. But that´s beside the point. He was surrounded by three people, namely Mihae, the Bishop, and the two twins, who introduced themselves as Ni and Li.

The bishop had surrounded herself with a magic aura, presumably to strengthen herself, and then cast a similar aura onto the two nekos. They just giggled and hopped around Rider, who took a defensive stance. This shouldn´t take long. They swiped at him with their claws, aiming for his legs and head specifically, which he dodged by jumping in a way that resulted in him being above the ground at a 90 degree angle, which he used to deliver quick cuts onto the cats´ arms, making them yelp and recoil.

He was being extremely careful. Who knows how much damage they could do after being buffed. He really didn´t want to find out. Hearing footsteps behind him, Rider dashed to the side, barely evading a punch of the Bishop, though he could tell she wasn´t a martial arts expert like the Rooks. He rushed her quickly, giving her no time to recover as he sliced her multiple times before he had to back off due to being pressured by the Pawns. He noticed that the Bishop seemed to have taken less damage than usual, probably because of the aura.

He then commenced the juggling act that was fighting the twins as he evaded, slashed, and tore through their weak defences. Soon, the first twin lay on the ground, but before being able to take out the other, he was attacked by the Rook, who now wore different clothes, curtesy of Ravel. Now having once again three opponents attacking him at once, Rider evaluated the situation. The Bishop would probably cast the buff on the Rook as well, so he could use that to take her out. Taking out the Pawn would result in a Rook that basically took no damage, and he wouldn´t want that. Alternatively, he could attack the Rook, but it was questionable whether or not he could actually defeat her before the spell is cast. It seems that attacking the Bishop was the only option. He charged right at her. This would turn the tides of battle into his favour, and he would have no problem cleaning up the rest. Then, they would all gang up on Riser. Yes, that would be the great payoff. All of them, together, attacking an immortal bastard till he gave up. Man, was he looking forward to that.

"The Queen from Rias´ peerage has retired."

 **Well, well, well. The plot, how to put it, thickens. One of them is out of the Game. How will the others fare? Find out next time! ...Anyway, you know what I write at this part, so I´ll skip over it. Bye!**


	21. Chapter 21

**So, the story continues! But you know the drill, reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: Well, that´s quite the compliment, so thank you! I hope the future battles live up to that standard!**

 **Anon(1): I think a kiss wouldn´t have been enough motivation. She really just wants to see him embarrassed and dominated by her, so something that puts them on a level playing field wouldn't help. However, promising to take her on a date might´ve worked, wink-wink-nudge-nudge-hint-hint.**

 **So, let´s skip the bullshit disclaimer and get right into the thick of it!**

„The Queen from Rias´ peerage has retired."

Wait, what? Rider was distracted for a mere second, but that was more than enough for the Rook to swoop in and punch him right in the gut, sending him crashing into the ground, leaving a big trail in the process. Coughing, he stood up, only to see the Bishop cast her spell on the Rook. In his peripheral vision, he saw the cat girl help up her sister, who seemed to have recovered from her beating earlier. Well, shit. This was literally the worst case scenario. He was surrounded by four buffed enemies, and he was in a rather shitty mental state after the defeat of his student. Maybe he should have trained her more. He _did_ kind of avoid training her for the most part due to her advances.

He had no time to figure out a plan of attack as the Rook immediately rushed him, eager to capitalize on his weak state of mind. He managed to block her swing, but was given no time to counter as his instincts warned him of a backstab, which he dashed out of the way of, and yet, the twin who´s attack missed was still grinning. Understandable, as they still held the advantage. Also, there was that slight issue of the other twin that was right in the man´s face. He ducked under the claw swipes, and elbowed her in the stomach, making her cough before he had to avoid a punch of the Bishop.

There was almost no time to react when the first twin dashed at him, swiping at his legs angrily, but he managed to jump just in time. Only to be nearly hit again by a punch of the Rook who had snuck up on him once again, but a slice to her arm made her recoil right before the hit landed. However, the twins were now both in an excellent position to hit him, and oh boy, did they take advantage of that. One sliced his feet open, and before he could even groan in pain, the second ran up to him and sliced his sword arm, making him lose his grip on it. He kicked them away and tried to reclaim his sword, but was interrupted by the Bishop, who attempted to hit him with a fire ball, which he deftly dodged.

He whipped out his gun and tried to shoot her, but it was blocked by a barrier. And he was quite certain that it wasn´t made by the target. In fact, that barrier looked really damn familiar. That cackle, too. He looked up, and what he saw filled him with rage. It was that bitch of a Queen! What´s worse, she looked completely fine, as if Akeno didn´t even put a dent in her! Actually, she was completely uninjured, he couldn´t even spot the wounds he himself had inflicted on her.

"That stupid bitch was quite troublesome. She actually almost defeated me. But as Master Riser predicted, these came quite in handy." She gloated, holding up a tiny flask. So that was it. She had drunk those ´Phoenix Tears´ Rias told him about. Instant, complete healing for anyone. Rider´s rage intensified. She had beaten his student by cheating?! Well, he couldn´t hold it against her, as using any advantage you have to win a fight is legitimate, but the fact that she fought without honor is what drove him crazy.

"Oh, that´s excellent, Yubelluna. Well, since you´re already here, how about you help us take care of this one, too? He is quite the troublemaker, and took out Karlamine pretty quickly." Said Ravel, giggling as the Queen immediately cast a spell which Rider dodged away from. "Gladly. I still have to pay him back for a few things, after all. Oh, and you guys, feel free to attack him, too. If Mihae did her job correctly, those auras should protect against explosions." She declared, causing the Bishop to pout slightly. "Why would you ever doubt me? Even if I don´t have fight as often as you, that doesn´t mean that I can´t cast my spells correctly."

Rider watched as they had a round of laughter. If there was any time to get back his weapon, it would be now. He dashed right into the middle of the pack, reaching for his sword. He could almost close his hand around it when it was stolen by one of the cats. Well, that was a bust. He turned his head toward her, only to feel his rage grow even further when she stuck out her tongue at him before running off again. He rolled upon making contact with the floor, when he felt energy building around him. He dashed away, the Bishop who snuck up on him being caught up in a huge blast.

He had no time for this nonsense. He needed his sword. He reached for his gun, and fired at the twin holding his gear. She danced around the bullets, and as he dashed in front of her, she threw it to her twin, who caught it in the air with her tail. Alright, Rider had already had enough. He kicked the enemy in front of him in her side, then slammed her head into the ground, knocking her out, as she didn´t really expect an attack, instead thinking he would go for his sword.

"One of Riser´s Pawns has retired." Came the announcement, causing the other to cry out in grief as her sister was whisked away by magic. Throwing all caution to the wind, she charged him, letting the sword fall to the ground. Rider smirked. Well, this made things easier. As he was still kneeling on the ground, he picked up some dust and threw it into the approaching Pawn´s face, but was instantly hit from behind by two punches, from the Rook and Bishop, respectively. Guess which one hurt more.

He flew over half the field before hitting the ground, leaving a huge crater and causing a dust cloud the size of an actual cloud in the sky. He barely opened his eyes when he was attacked once again, the remaining twin going on a rampage, slicing up his body everywhere, blood flowing from his wounds like water from a faucet. It seemed to last forever, the pain getting worse and worse. He almost didn´t notice when the explosion hit him, caused by the Queen, who was cackling madly in the distance, though he couldn´t hear it. The twin was still scratching him all over. It took a while, but once the dust settled, the Rook and the Bishop came up to them and tore the twin away from him, trying to calm her down.

He couldn´t feel anything. Blood surrounded him in the crater, making him feel like he was a giant lying in a lake. The enemy looked at him in pity. It was only a matter of time before he blacked out. And then, that son of a bitch would win, and the entire last week would´ve been pointless. His regen wouldn´t help, not in this fight. He´d taken too much damage, and once he passed a certain threshold, he blacked out for a few seconds before being healed. In this Rating Game, where you are removed from the battle when you lose consciousness, that would be fatal. He had to get up. But he couldn´t.

"The Knight from Rias´ peerage has retired."

He turned his head just in time to see his student fall from the roof of the school. He could barely see him, but that blonde hair shone like a light in contrast to the black roof. He couldn´t make out his expression, but he could imagine what it was. One of disappointment, one of hopelessness. He would hope that he´d been of use to his master.

He then observed multiple fireballs being thrown, only to explode right before the edge of the roof. He could just make out four silhouettes at the edge, right where the fireballs exploded. No. Those were his students. He had to help.

"Well, it seems our work here is done. Isabela, please take care of him, should he get up. We´ll go help Master Riser." The Queen declared, the Rook affirming her orders. No. Now they would leave as well. At this rate, it was only a matter of minutes before Rias was forced to give up. He had to stop them, somehow, with any means possible.

" _Well, it seems you´re in quite the predicament, aren´t you?"_

What? Who was that?

" _Hm, I guess you could call me…Instinct. Yeah, that´s a good name."_

That was a stupid name. Rider looked around, but saw nobody. Where was this…´Instinct´?

" _I heard that! I know I suck at naming things, but come on! As for where I am, well, your eyes won´t help you with that. I´m inside your head. "_

Huh. Well, that explained that, at least. Wait, did that mean that Rider was going crazy?

" _Nah, you´re just fine. In fact, we´ve talked before. Remember? Those other times last week you thought you were going nuts? That was me, too. Anyway, while you´re fine in the head, there are some things in here that affect both of us. You see, there´s this seal that´s keeping me locked up, and I really want this thing gone, and you should, too, seeing as I´m essentially another part of you."_

Well, that´s cool. But what would happen if it were to be removed? Wouldn´t that give him control over Rider´s body in some way? Would he want that, even if it was a part of him? What if it was a side of him he hated? Why was it sealed off in the first place?

" _You shouldn´t concern yourself with that. I´ll explain later. As for the ownership of that sick body, we´d be basically sharing control. But what you_ _ **should**_ _be concerned about is what it does to_ _ **you**_ _. You know that weird corruption shit that spreads wherever you go? Yeah, that´s me, trying to break it. So, if we destroy this thing, you´re rid of that, forever. Sound good?"_

Rider´s head was spinning. So this seal had kept another side of him shut away for who knows how long, and it was the cause for his condition which had caused him grief ever since he first stepped onto the Free World, and he could finally free himself from both chains right now? He had no doubts. He made his choice.

" _Hahaha! Excellent choice! Now, I´ve been gathering energy for quite a while, so, all you should have to do is somehow get your hands on that Rook. Just grab her, and I´ll do the rest. Soon. Soon, we´ll be free. Then, we can kill the Jailer, and forever free ourselves and everyone else from this curse."_

Rider paid no heed to his words, and instead focused on the Rook, which stood at the edge of the crater, observing him. He only wanted to be freed, freed of this sickness. He closed his hand up into a fist, and slowly pushed himself up. All he had to do was touch the enemy. Then, he´d be free. He was standing on one knee now, and he could hear the Rook approach.

"Still conscious, huh? It must be quite painful. Please, just let this end. There is no more reason for you to fight." She said, pity in her voice. Nonetheless, Rider continued the arduous task of standing up. "What are you doing, Isabela? Is he still trying to fight, or what?" came the voice of Ravel across the field, not a worry in her voice. "Yeah, but he really shouldn´t. He can barely stand." Answered the Rook, turning around. NOW! Rider used all his willpower and jumped. His hand grabbed the first thing it came into contact with, which was big, round, and…shit.

" _Whoa dude, smooth! Couldn´t have done it any better!"_

Rider couldn´t find it in himself to question anything, he just wanted this to be over with. He paid no heed to the embarrassed remarks of the girl, and instead felt his headaches return, the banging becoming nearly unbearable. At the same time, he felt the breast his hand was clasped around grow softer, presumably because the aura around her was fading. Huh. So that´s what it did. It just made their skin harder. Well, the more you know.

"Huh? Why is the spell fading? Hey, Mihae, did you somehow lift it already? Because my aura is almost gone!" she cried out, only getting confused looks from her comrades. "No, it should still last for quite a while. It doesn´t really matter, though. Just deal with the creep and come over so I can give you another."

"Alright! Well, I´m sorry, but I´m not sorry. Bloody pervert!" she shouted, rearing back her fist for a devastating punch. Rider would not be able to dodge that. He had to rely on Instinct to finish up so he could…still lose. Well, he really didn´t think this one through, now did he? His headaches were getting worse. If before, it felt like someone tried to punch through a wall, now they were using a sodding jackhammer! But he felt it. The wall was crumbling. It was a matter of moments before this would be over. The fist was inches away from hitting him. He closed his eyes.

" _BOOM, BITCH! INSTINCT´S BACK IN TOWN!"_

He felt something break in his head. Then, Rider blacked out.

Isabela´s punch was caught with no problem. Shocked, she tried to pull her fist out of the iron grip, but to no avail. She stared the man in the eyes, and screamed at what she saw. What was previously the steely gaze of a hardened warrior was now the piercing stare of a predator, made even more terrifying by the toothy grin. He opened his hands, making her stagger back from her own efforts to escape, but before she could even fall to the ground, she was punched in the face and grabbed by the neck and held above the ground. She could feel her very essence, her life force, being absorbed. She stared him in the eyes, and saw only relish in her fear. Finally, after a few seconds of complete terror and anguish, she fainted.

He released her, her body falling to the ground before vanishing. Sona forgot to even announce the Rook´s defeat, she was so confused. He had gone from being defeated on the ground, to acting like Rias´ Pawn, to choking the Rook into unconsciousness in mere seconds.

The Rook´s comrades, naturally, were shocked as well, but their rage overshadowed their fear. How dare he?! How dare he defile Isabela like that and then treat her like some used toy?! Yubelluna immediately cast an explosion. The man didn´t bother to dodge. She smirked, knowing he couldn´t take this amount of damage at this point. He had simply taken too many of her patented explosions. There was no way he would get up from that.

He did. And with a menacing, predatory grin to boot. They were petrified as he slowly marched toward them, each step making them recoil just a bit as blood dripped onto the floor. Finally, after he´d crossed half the field, the cat girl had enough and charged toward him, brandishing her claws. His grin grew wider. When she was just a few feet away from him, she jumped, and tried to use her momentum for a kick. He didn´t seem to care as he disappeared without a trace. Confused, the girl landed on the ground with a flip.

The very moment her feet touched the ground, was she kicked the exact way she intended to just a second earlier. She looked into his eyes, which mirrored hers as he kneeled on top of her, a foot on her neck, the other holding her mouth shut, as she felt just like her friend, her essence being drained. She collapsed even faster than the Rook, and was warped away.

He turned around, and stared his prey in the eyes. He looked at the Bishop, then the Queen. Who would go first? None of them posed a threat to him, so it was a matter of taste, really. Oh well. The Queen annoyed him more with her explosions, and he had a faible for cute, polite girls. They reminded him of the petite blonde on the roof. He disappeared again, causing the team to look around in panic, not knowing where the hunter would attack from.

Their panic didn´t help, as he attacked the flying Queen with a downward punch, creating a crater even larger in size than the one he´d lain in just a minute before, however, no dust shot up. It was simply compressed further into the ground, which had cracked open in several places, leaving deep fissures. He dropped down instantly, but instead of trying to hold her in place, he elected to kick her, over and over again, making her cough out blood after a certain point. He was barely bleeding at this point, the energy healing his wounds rather efficiently, which he used to torture the Queen who had bested his student with dishonourable means. He would never forgive her. And so, after kicking her over and over again, her friends unable to look away, he picked her up by her hair, and drained her as well. It took much longer than the others, because her status as Queen gave her much more magic power, which equates to life force, and thus gave him much more to absorb.

Besides, for dishonouring his student, it would only be fair to take it _nice and slow._ After seconds that felt like hours to everyone, the Queen, too, blacked out. So, only two remaining, huh? He looked at them, and how scared they were. They looked about ready to piss themselves. He took a step, which caused the kimono-clad Bishop to run off screaming, making him sigh in annoyance. He had left her till last, and this was his thanks? Only a short, pointless chase?

Well, it didn´t matter. In the time it took for him to groan, he´d already slammed her face first into the dirt. She was crying. Well, if anything, he was a gentleman. So he eased his grip, instead ruffling her hair gently as she blacked out, though it didn´t exactly comfort her.

To say Ravel was in a shitty situation was an understatement. She was alone, without anyone to protect her from this monster. She slowly backed away as he took a step toward her, and again, and again, and again. She looked at the sword she was carrying. Ni had thrown it into her hands before she ran off to… She gulped. His expression grew more and more annoyed each time she backed away, and his steps got faster and larger the darker his grimace got. Finally, he seemed to have had enough, and just appeared in front of her, barely inches from her face. She yelped, and almost backed off again, but he grabbed her hand before she could.

She knew that panicking wouldn´t solve anything. But still, every fibre of her being screamed at her to scream for help, struggle, _anything_ to get away from this monster! But, against all odds, she kept calm, and turned around to look right at him. And what she saw was surprising, to say the least. Sure, it was the same demanding, annoyed look in his eyes, but his hand was pointing at the sword. So that´s all he wanted? Shaking, she extended her hand, and dropped the sword in his open palm. He sheathed it, and moved his hand closer to her head. So that was it. He wanted to give her hope before shattering it, to revel in her horror. She felt his hand touch her on the top of her head. She wouldn´t give him any satisfaction.

She looked him right in the eye, and found…something unexpected. She couldn´t exactly place it, but it was clear he wasn´t going to hurt her. In fact, he was ruffling her hair, like her older brother used to before he became the playboy he was. It felt weirdly comforting. He was a monster that had beaten her friends to unconsciousness, but he seemed to have some sort of respect for her only…the thought made her redden. She had to admit, it made her feel fuzzy on the inside when she was the only one to receive special treatment, even if it was from this monster. Oh no, was she going to be kept as slave, only to attend to his – his s-s-sexual n-n-n-needs? No. Nonononononononononono. She had so much more to live for! She still had to meet her knight in shining armor, the one she loved, and she still had to get her brother back to normal!

While Ravel was occupied with her own thoughts, he let go of her. He could tell what she was thinking about, the blush gave it away. So much for ´Mister Samurai´ being the only one to score with the ladies! He looked at the roof, where a giant fireball was floating over the edge, giving away two shadows, one standing over the other, which was kneeling on the tiles, barely even being on the roof.

He knew who the two were. He could tell. AND THAT BOY WAS HIS PREY! He leapt high into the air, drawing his sword, his armor glowing white as he descended upon his victim. As he neared the roof, he saw the situation. His students were huddled up together near the right side of the roof, apparently injured, except for Issei, who was seemingly unconscious at the bottom edge, and above whom stood the cocky prick, getting ready to throw his fireball. Rias seemed about ready to give up to stop her Pawn from getting beaten any more, but wasn´t able to move. Well, mainly because they were all looking at him as he shot toward the roof like a missile. While still in flight, he kicked Riser, sending him flying across the roof, screaming in pain, and grabbed Issei and threw him into his students, who caught him with some difficulty.

Before Riser had even the chance to get up, he roared, and jumped again, breaking several tiles, descending on the unfortunate devil, who just watched the monster falling on him in terror. There was a stabbing noise, and a scream that physically hurt anyone who heard it, there was so much pain behind it. The beast kneeled above his prey, drawing his sword out a bit only to embed it even deeper within the Phenex heir. Blood sprayed from the wound, the screams not subsiding as the monster´s breaths echoed throughout the whole school.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" screamed Riser, lobbing a huge fireball at point blank into his face. It didn´t do jack shit. In fact, his grin grew wider as he pushed his sword even deeper, causing more blood to spray out of the wound. The air around him rippled, and he roared victoriously as he spun around, hoisting the sword onto his back. He then swung his sword, causing Riser to fly off of it, crashing into the cross on the other end of the roof. His armor, which glowed with an intensity like never before, then flickered a bit.

"You will call me Instinct, you insignificant piece of shit."

 **Well, shit, here it is! The grand reveal of my carefully crafted plot! But this is only the first of many! So stay tuned! After all, there is still quite a bit to be resolved…**

 **Short spoiler: Next chapter will be the same time as this one, only out of the perspective of our favorite devils (excluding the biggest tits…I mean, Akeno).**

 **So, review please, and I´ll see ya next time! Bye!**


	22. Chapter 22

**No intro needed, reviews, chop-chop, we need to get this shit on the road!**

 **Red Diz: CONGRATULATIONS! You, good sir, are the 50** **th** **reviewer! Woohoo! Your award: a cookie. So, go get a cookie, and eat it. If you don´t have one, go buy one. Anyways, jokes aside, Instinct is kind of meant to be brutal. Think of him as the kill switch. Rider uses stun mode, and Instinct´s a bit more…lenient about killing shit. Also, never watched Bleach and I can´t be arsed, seeing as I still haven´t caught up to One Piece yet, so…yeah.**

 **ultima-owner: Yeah, same thing here. Instinct is more loose cannon than Rider, and thus will kill more than him. Also, sadistic might not be the best word for it, seeing as he mostly tormented Yubelluna to avenge Akeno. But otherwise yeah, you hit the nail on the head.**

 **Goldenclaw: Glad you like him. Because he is made by me, moi, and none other than ich. So, to put it simple, he isn´t part of Highschool DxD, and all I´ll tell you is this: at this point, he has two very simple goals. One you should be able to figure out at this point. As for the other…use your imagination. It was hinted at a few chapters back.**

 **jordanlink7856: Here you go. Also, what´s your profile pic from? It´s cute as all hell.**

 **So, thanks to all reviewers, and I won´t keep you from the story any longer!**

„The Queen from Rias´ peerage has retired."

Riser let out a cocky laugh when the announcement came, while Rias and her servants watched in disbelief as Akeno was warped away in the distance. How? They´d trained so hard, and yet she lost? Just how powerful was Riser´s Queen? "Well, that´s that. I knew those Phoenix Tears would come in handy. Without those, your Queen might´ve actually won, Rias. But now, all you have to take out a Rook, two Pawns, a Bishop, and my lovely Queen is a Knight, Rook, a Bishop that doesn´t fight and a Pawn that only managed to beat Mira because he stripped her naked. What a great assembly of warriors. Oh, and let´s not forget your…´special fighter´, if that´s how Miss Sitri put it. He has to fight all of them in one go. Let´s hope he´s as strong as you claim, because otherwise, he might not come out in one piece."

Rias´ vision turned red, against all reason. She knew he was taunting her, trying to get her to make stupid decisions, but at this point, she just wanted his stupid face to get wiped off the face of the planet. "Issei. Give me a Boost. NOW." She demanded, her Pawn obliging instantly. Seconds later, she felt a power welling up in her chest, creating a gust of wind around her as she cast her strongest spell, which was the size of a bus, speeding toward the cocky prick, who took it head on with no hesitation, his grin never fading.

It tore out a huge chunk from his right side, his arm was gone, his entire face was eradicated, and yet, as if nothing happened, flames were emitted from his wounds, and his appendages grew back instantly. His grin was still there. It would always be. Unless they ended it right now. She ordered her servants to attack, which they did, in formation. Koneko attacked from the right, Issei went for a frontal attack and Kiba went in from the left.

Koneko´s punch was caught, and he burned her hand to a crisp, making her cry out in pain. Kiba´s sword delivered many fatal wounds, but to this guy, it meant nothing. Kiba´s dozen slashes a second were nothing against regeneration that could heal a million cuts a second. And so, Kiba was largely ignored as Issei charged in with his Boosted Gear, rearing back for a punch. Riser simply held out his hand, ready to catch it. But Issei was not yet completely blinded by rage, rage that stemmed from the defeat of his terrifying, but lovely Senpai. His arm glowed red, and the light focused itself into a small sphere, right in front of his Sacred Gear. Koneko and Kiba noticed just in time to dodge. Riser, in his arrogance, was not so lucky. Good.

"DRAGON SHOT!" the Pawn cried, punching the ball of light, creating a huge beam that completely engulfed Riser, who cried out in surprise as slowly, every part of his body was wiped from existence, his regeneration being overpowered by the might of Dragons.

Issei panted. Had it been enough? Had he defeated Riser? He couldn´t tell, because of the smoke. He got his answer when a hand grabbed his face, burning it´s imprint on him, making him cry out in pain. The smoke cleared, and there stood Riser, cocky as ever. "Congratulations. You actually almost got me there. Had your attack lasted a second longer and had just a tiny bit more force, you´d have destroyed me completely. What a shame. Anyway, here´s your reward: death by fire. You should be grateful. Not many get to die by my flame. It´s a privilege for those who _annoy me the most_!" he shouted in anger, intensifying the burns. Issei´s cries got louder with every second, causing Asia to fall to her knees.

"Please, stop hurting him! Stop hurting Issei-san!" she yelled, making Riser pause for a second and look at her, before grinning menacingly. "Alright, I´ll let him go. But only if Rias gives up. Then, after the marriage, her servants become mine as well, which means that you should have no problem servicing me, right?" he asked making Asia recoil at the thought. No. She hated him. Her first time had to be with Issei-san. She refused to be a part of it.

Before she could say anything, they were distracted by explosions on the trackfield. They looked on in horror as their teacher was put under immense pressure, and was chasing after his sword. He managed to take out a Pawn, but the announcement was ignored as he was batted around like a football before being mercilessly ravaged by the other Pawn, followed by another explosion. What they saw was too horrible. They couldn´t say a single word. He was basically drowning in his own blood. Asia had tears in her eyes, as did everyone else.

Riser threw Issei away, being bored of torturing him already. This would get much better results. "Well, it seems your ´special fighter´ is down and out for the count. If you don´t hurry, he´ll die. Give up, Rias. Or else his death will be on you." He declared, his eyes shining with confidence. There was no way she wouldn´t give up now. He knew that much. If one of her servants, or, in this case, ´friends´, had to die, she´d sacrifice herself on the spot.

Rias´ face was covered by her bangs. She couldn´t say anything. Her mouth refused to move. She wanted to save him, she really wanted to, but on the other hand, she believed in him, believed he would somehow pull this around and come out on top. Besides, wasn´t part of being a leader to know when someone had to be sacrificed for the end goal? No, that wasn´t right. She valued him more than that. She would give up. She opened her mouth.

"Fine, I-" but before she could finish her sentence, Kiba charged forward, tears streaming down his face. "How dare you! How dare you use Sensei as a bargaining chip! How dare you make President question herself! You filthy bastard! Sword Birth: Fire Delete!" he cried, summoning a blade of ice in his hands. Using his speed, he rushed behind Riser, slashing at the back of his legs before evading the burst of fire the devil released. He kept on running around Riser, getting in a few hits before dodging away, which resulted in him barely taking any hits while his Fire Delete slowly, but surely wore Riser down as his regen began to slow.

"THAT´S ENOUGH!" the King yelled, focusing his energy for a giant explosion, which made Kiba jump back, but he wasn´t fast enough in doing so. The blast had far more reach than he´d anticipated, and so he was hit by this incredibly large magic force, making him fall to the edge of the roof, to which he clung with one hand, his sword falling out of his palm. He coughed, and looked at Rias, who had tears in her eyes. He smiled. "Smile, President. You still have Issei-san and Koneko-chan. They´ll win this for you, I have no doubt. I´m sorry. I need to rest for a while…" he whispered, barely loud enough to hear before he let go.

"The Knight from Rias´ peerage has retired." Rias cried after him, but couldn´t get to the blonde to comfort him as Riser immediately casted fireballs at her, which she had to shield her servants from. No one else would suffer for her. She wouldn´t let their efforts go to waste. If she gave up now, everything would´ve been pointless. She would fight. Even if it killed her.

"You…you…!" She looked at Issei, who was crying. She didn´t expect that. Issei disliked Kiba, everyone knew that. So why was he crying for him? "Kiba…I might hate you for being an enemy to all men, but this…you stood up for your mentor, nay, your brother-in-arms, and fought to preserve his honor…there is nothing more manly than that. Don´t worry. I´ll keep the torch lit. I´ll protect them. I´ll beat him. RISER!" he shouted, emitting a dark red aura. His Boosted Gear was constantly boosting his power as he took slow, big steps toward the devil, who was just yawning, wondering how many he´d have to beat down before he finally won. The sound of another blast reached their ears, causing Asia and Koneko to huddle a bit closer to each other as Koneko´s burns were healed. Their close proximity to one another helped against the thought of how ´Mister Samurai´ was being mercilessly tortured.

Issei´s boosts increased in rate, and against his President´s worried objections, he drew closer and closer to the enemy, who didn´t even bother to enter any kind of stance. Why should he? He could take any hit and just regenerate the damage. But this was different, and Issei knew it. His boosts were going nuts, his emotions making his next punch one that might even be powerful enough to take down his teacher. Yet, despite his rage, his frustration and all his care for his friends that was focused into his punch, he was completely calm. He wasn´t exactly someone who relied on tactical moves to take down his enemy like Kiba, and he got heated very, VERY easily, but in this moment, where his emotions ran rampant, he maintained control.

He stood in front of Riser now, who was staring him dead in the eye. There were no words to be said. Riser´s hand shot toward his still burnt face, but Issei did not care. He grabbed the hand before it even got close. He twisted it, slowly, making sure that the slowed regen could still kick in right before the bones broke again. With his overwhelming strength, he pushed Riser onto his knees, who was groaning heavily because of the pain. Issei had about two seconds left in his boosted state. He would make them count. He curled his Boosted Gear into a fist, and punched Riser straight in the face, almost making it fly right off as Riser flew through the roof and was buried deep, deep within the school´s basement.

Exhausted, Issei fell to his knees, the boost having worn off. He had avenged him. Akeno, Kiba, and his teacher could rest now. He turned his head toward the team, and gave a shaky thumbs up. They sighed in relief. Asia stood up and started to run toward him, hugging him once she reached him. "I was so worried! Don´t ever do that again!" she said, crying tears of joy. Her master and friend was free! She helped Issei up, who sheepishly apologized for his recklessness, and they stumbled over to their friends, where Rias was standing, albeit still pretty tense. The announcement should have come by now. That could only mean…

A low rumbling shook them from their thoughts. Issei felt it right beneath himself, and shot Asia an apologetic look before gathering all his remaining strength and shoving her away, just in time before he was punched from below, in the gut, Riser´s fist going straight through his torso. Issei didn´t just cough blood from that. No, he pretty much vomited blood from the impact, staining the black roof in a dark shade of red. The edge of his vision turned black, his last sight being Riser´s angry grimace, stained in his blood, which was gushing from the wound. The shock resulted in him losing all his senses except for two: his sight, filled with nothing Riser´s furious visage, and the feeling of pain and hopelessness. All this training had been for nothing. His teacher was in a terrible situation, and Issei himself would probably die, without even helping the President.

Riser pulled his fist out of the Pawn, and tossed him onto the roof, ignoring the girls´ cries. He quickly descended, and grabbed the boy by the hair before he could fall off, and pulled him onto his knees. "You are by far the most annoying peasant I´ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. I don´t even care about the marriage anymore. I just want you dead!" he spoke, forming a gigantic ball of fire in his other hand, it easily having the size of a small house. Yep, that should do it.

Rias was desperate. At this point, she knew it was impossible to win, and her precious Pawn would die if she didn´t give up now. And yet, it would mean yielding to this _disgusting scumbag_. She had her pride. Every fibre of her being refused to give in. So, as a result of this conflict, for those seconds, she could only watch. It felt like hours. No. She would not let her servants suffer. She had made up her mind earlier. He had suffered for her enough. She made a step forward, but was interrupted yet again in her decision to step up for herself when a huge bang echoed through the arena. She was the only one who looked, as Asia was being comforted by Koneko and the same refused to look at any torturing that may be happening to their teacher.

And she saw a missile. No, it was their teacher, moving at incredible speeds toward the roof. But something had changed. He had never shown this much power, and his armor was glowing, no, shining white, something she´d not seen before. Also, the vibe he gave off was different. Last time she saw him, it was calm and thoughtful, now it was chaotic and destructive. It was like some switch had been flipped, and the spring breeze turned into a storm. And the change seemed to have brought that exact power with it, as he kicked Riser through the roof and made him come out the other side of it before the guy managed to catch himself and flip onto his belly.

Then, he threw Issei back to her, which she caught with her magic, although the force behind the throw was enormous, almost as if he didn´t care about Issei in the slightest. She immediately put him on the floor and called Asia over, who was in some kind of trance as she watched her mentor, soaked in blood like a monster, mercilessly beat the devil around like some sort of toy. Once she did break out of her trance, she rushed over, healing the boy with unprecedented vigor, her and Rias both crying out to him multiple times. And yet, even though the wound closed rapidly, there was no response. Rias checked his heartbeat. She sighed in relief. It was weak, but it was still there, meaning Issei was not dead. She started crying. Why? Why did he have to be so damn selfless? He had sacrificed himself over and over, even though he´d been forced into her service, and he did it all with a smile. Just…why did he have to suffer for her so much?

Once this was over, she´d make it up to him, big time. He deserved it. Asia, in the meantime, had to be consoled as she was still crying, because she, too, was worried about her crush, but she could no longer help him. All her energy had been exhausted at this point. It always ended like this. She wanted to help everyone, and yet, in the end, when there was one person who needed her the most, she couldn´t do anything. Be it herself or Issei, it didn´t matter. She was useless. And so, they spent the next few seconds like that, occupied with their thoughts.

As they did, Koneko was more focused on her teacher. Sure, she was somewhat worried about the pervert, but her teacher captivated her much more. He had turned into a beast, plain and simple, she could tell from the way he carried himself, and the look in his eyes. She had seen it before, once. It was the reason she almost died once. Tears formed in her eyes. Why? Why did the people she cared about the most always do this? Why were they always seduced by their own power, turning them into mindless beasts, hunting for sport?

She fell to her knees once his next attack hit. It caused a scream that made her blood run cold. The pain was so evident in it, she could almost feel the wound herself, which was even worse considering her mental state. She, along with her friends, looked at it, and felt their cold sweat pouring out in buckets as the monster pulled out the sword slightly, before pushing it in even deeper, making the scream even more unbearable.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" their foe screamed in between his cries of pain, all dignity having been tossed out the window as he blasted it with a huge fireball that did absolutely nothing. It roared, and spun around, lifting it´s weapon onto it´s shoulder, before swinging it, making the devil yell many curses as he flew off the blade and into the cross on the end of the roof. It´s armor flickered a bit.

"You will call me Instinct, you insignificant piece of shit."

 **Well, there we go! We finally found out about their perspective of the battle, so now the question arises: What will happen now that Instinct´s here, and without anything to restrain him from rampaging? Find out, next time! Oh, and leave a review please. Thank you. Alright, now, bye!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello! Welcome back to this wonderful shitshow! We have only the most premium of shits here in this shitshow! Alright, so, onto the review, then we´ll get straight back to the plot!**

 **ultima-owner: Well, we´ll see about that. Perhaps he´s more diplomatic than you´d think…**

 **Well, that was depressingly short. Back to the story!**

„You will call me Instinct, you insignificant piece of shit."

Koneko looked up in shock. He…could talk? Since when? But that changed nothing. He was still just a beast. He was taking steps toward Riser, who was in a pitiful state now that his regen had been slowed drastically, although no one exactly pitied him. There would be no stopping him. But she had to try. To get him back to normal. With determination that she´d never felt before, she stood up, albeit shakily, and rushed toward him, closing her arms around him and holding him back from taking any more steps. She was disgusted at having to do this with all the blood covering him, but she had to.

"Please…you´ve lost control…stop…" she asked quietly, tears streaming down her eyes. He made no move to escape her grip. "Would you kindly let go? I still haven´t punished him enough yet." He said in a commanding voice, to which she only shook her head violently. No. She would never let go. Not until he was back to normal. "Alright. Tell me why I shouldn´t beat the crap out of him. He has done many bad things. So, why is it that he deserves to live?"

"This isn´t about him…it´s about you! You´ve changed! You would never do this usually! Turn back to the way you used to!" she cried, holding him tighter, though he showed no reaction to her iron grip. "Ahhh, now I get it. You´re confusing me and my other half. See, I´m not the one you all call ´Mister Samurai´. That would be my other half. I´m Instinct, or the handsome one. Take your pick. So, nice to meet ya! Sorry for the…bloody introduction." He explained, breaking out of the hold with no problem to turn around and bow with a sheepish grin. It made their heads spin. Other half? So he wasn´t going insane from power? But that still changed nothing.

"Alright, let´s say you are his other half. Where´ve you been all this time, and why did you only come out now? And most important of all, where did our teacher go?" asked Rias as she stood up, crossing her arms with a piercing gaze. "Okay, first of all, calm down. While I may not exactly look like it, I won´t hurt any of you. And I literally broke free from a seal that kept me locked up for far too long just a few minutes ago, so…yeah. Oh, and ´Mister Samurai´ is having a nap right now. Don´t worry, he isn´t dead. He´s had quite the bad day, if you catch my drift." He said, shrugging.

Asia and Koneko sighed in relief. So their friend hasn´t left this world yet. But Rias was still quite cautious. "Locked up? Who sealed you away? And why?" Rias demanded to know. This was someone with the power of her teacher, however he had seemingly no moral restraints keeping him back, making him infinitely more dangerous. And if he was sealed away, there must´ve been a reason. Depending on what it was, her opinion on this man could drastically shift.

"How about this? I won´t answer your question. We´ll leave that for later. First, since I am a gentleman and I dislike seeing cute girls cry" he declared, ruffling Koneko´s hair, who tried to conceal her slightly reddened face. "I will have a talk with the prick over there. Then, we´ll answer your question. That sound good to you?" Then, without waiting for Rias´ response, he turned around, and walked toward Riser, who had gotten up, his regen having healed most of his wounds, though the flames still flared up in some places.

"So, let´s have a talk, sort out our differences, all that jazz. Okay? Good. So, do you know why I hate you so much at this point?" Instinct asked, not once giving Riser a chance to even open his mouth. "It´s not just about your attitude, which you should know by now needs fixing. I mean, holy shit, how on earth can you be such a condescending prick every time I see you? It´s an art at this point, really. But that´s not the main reason I despise you. You remember the twins, Ile and Nel?" he continued, waiting for Riser to answer this time, which he did, with a hesitant nod.

"Well, one of the two nearly hurt themselves REAL bad earlier during their fight against my other half. As in, nearly had a chainsaw rip their eye out. And yet, after the fight, when they were left in there, with their comrades, knowing they´d be fried by Akeno´s lightning, they thanked him, and smiled. _They_ _fucking smiled when they knew they´d be hit by an attack that would kill them in any other scenario._ They are too bloody young for that. That´s something I´d expect from someone who´s had a good life, and could look back at it in joy. Or a soldier who fought hard during a battle. Not from children, who have absolutely no business on the battlefield! Karlamine, sure, I can see that. She follows a knight´s code of honor, and I can tell she´s fought often enough to constitute as a soldier. But those two? No. It´s unforgivable. So. Explain yourself. And if you say anything about ´duty´ because you made them devils, then I won´t hesitate to kill you. Because that´s a bunch of bullshit, and you know it."

Riser´s jaw was slacked, his hands trembling. They had…what…? "C-could you repeat that? I think I misheard you. I believe you just said that my Pawns nearly…oh Satan…" he uttered, his breathing hitching when Instinct nodded. "B-but I trained them so well…this – this shouldn´t have, no, couldn´t have…!" "And here you realize your fatal flaw. It was your overconfidence that put them in danger. It was your mistake in underestimating your opponent that nearly scarred them for life, if it didn´t kill one outright. At least you seem to care about them."

"OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT THEM! THEY´RE PART OF MY PEERAGE, MY FAMILY! I LOVE THE, FOR FUCK SAKE! L-look, while I treat them as a Master should treat his servants, I care about them, really, I do. We live together, we sleep together, in that way, yes, and we all love each other. And so far, we´ve never been defeated. Sure, as this is essentially glorified chess, they are roughed up more often than not, but this…I must thank you. For saving them." Riser explained, shaking miserably. He had never felt this before. He had always been praised for his talents, his victories, and his servants, no, his lovers had always told him they could take anyone they had to. But they had never told him just how much danger they actually put themselves in.

"I was a fool. For not knowing what challenges they faced for me, and for not asking. I will have to apologize to them later…" he whispered to himself, having shook off the shock. "Hmph, so you do have some humility. Good. But your naiveté isn´t excused by that. Not in the slightest. But that´s a problem you´ll solve on your own. ´Cause now we´ll talk about problem number two. Why exactly did you treat the fair lady over there not with the respect she deserves?" Instinct interjected into Riser´s thoughts, pointing at Rias, whose eyes widened in shock. "Wha-"

"Tut, tut, my dear. The men are having a discussion." Instinct interrupted before she could speak up, causing a tick mark to appear on her forehead. Sodding hypocrite. "So, Mister…Phenex, if I recall, what´s your answer?"

The devil sighed, and looked into the sky with a thoughtful gaze, his worries being left for later, before opening his mouth. "Tell me, Instinct, how long do you think has this marriage been planned out? If you guessed anything other than twelve years, you´re wrong. This has been arranged when Rias was but five years old, and I had just reached the age of ten. My parents called it my birthday present. And so, ever since, they reminded me, day in, day out, how talented I was, how great a devil I would become, and how, with a Gremory to warm my bed, I would be able to make many, powerful children that would make the Phenex rise to the top of Hell. It´s kind of silly, now that I think about it. Heh…heheheh…" he chuckled, thinking about how crazy a childhood he had.

"So let me get this straight. Your parents essentially told you to treat her like a birthing machine? Did I understand that correctly?" Instinct asked, though he didn´t even need to see the nod from the guy to know, his expression turning furious. "You know, with that attitude, I´m surprised you even know that respecting a woman is the right thing to do at all. I think I should have a _talk_ with your parents for a bit. They need to understand what it means to think of others as stepping stones for their petty ambitions." Riser´s head shot up. "No! Don´t! While they may be not the best parents, they´re still family! I don´t want them to die!"

Instinct glared at him, making Riser shrink back in fear. "Why is it that whenever I want to teach someone a lesson, that someone else stands up, someone who suffered because of the other, might I add, and tells me not to? Can someone explain that to me? Because I´m honestly baffled." He inquired, sheathing his sword that´d been crackling all this time, and the others eased a bit, though his expression still made them nervous. He looked like he could explode any minute now.

"Well, then I won´t interfere. But here is what I will force _you_ to do. Even with your parents´ influence, it was your decision to behave like an arrogant asshole. Not just to Rias, but also everyone else. So, after this fight ends, you´ll gather them all together in a room, and I do mean _everyone_ , get on your knees, prostrate yourself before them, and apologize. Because you´re old enough to take responsibility for your actions. As are your parents." He spoke, causing the devil to chuckle.

He then expressed his desire to have done so anyway before a high-pitched voice deafened them for more than just a second, before Riser was tackled by a tiny pink blur. It was his sister, who had tears in her eyes, and was now hugging her brother, seemingly glad that he was okay. Riser just stared in disbelief for a second before he ruffled her hair gently, with a calm smile, which shocked the people present, as they´d never seen such an expression on his face, let alone imagined it possible. He looked like a perfectly sensible older brother, one that they could trust to deal with any situation, if they were his family.

"Sorry, Ravel. For everything. But you shouldn´t worry. The bastard may have roughed me up a bit, but it´s nothing I can´t handle. So stop crying. It´s my job as your brother to make sure you don´t cry." He made his care for his sister known, making her look up in surprise, before hugging him again, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Ravel, what did I just tell you? Are you trying to make me fail my job as your brother? Well, I kind of deserve that, considering my attitude."

"No, my dear brother. These aren´t tears of sadness. These are tears of joy. I´m glad…you´ve finally turned back the way you were, before all this." She stated calmly, hugging him tighter, causing him to chuckle a bit, before he started coughing violently. Ravel looked at him in concern. "Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?" Riser just continued to ruffle her hair, suggesting she stop worrying about him. After all, he was the great, undefeated Riser.

Instinct stood up, deciding to leave the two to their own devices, and walked over to the others, who were sitting there, smiling at the moment the siblings were having. "You know, if this was the man I had met when I was introduced to my fiancée, I might´ve actually considered marrying him. It´s such a shame, really…" Rias muttered to no one in particular, and the others nodded in agreement before gathering around Issei, who, for some reason, had still not been warped away, and yet had not gotten back up yet.

"Alright, now we can get back to your question. You wanted to know who sealed me up, correct?" he asked, eliciting a nod from Rias, urging him to continue. "Well, instead of answering it, how about this? I´ll just point at the one responsible for my imprisonment. After all, he´s eavesdropped on our conversation for quite a while now. Isn´t that right, you red asshole?" He was staring at the Boosted Gear, his eyes glowing menacingly.

" **Hmph. So you finally remembered your past, did you?"** answered an echoing voice, the emerald on the Sacred Gear glowing green. "Not exactly. My other half still doesn´t remember, but I do. Probably hit his head really hard or something. Let me tell you, that seal that you and the white bastard put on me really didn´t dull any of the rage I felt back then. In fact, I´m more pissed than ever. So, in the immortal words of that rabbit, the Jailer is the key. Once I kill them, I´ll be free." Instinct spoke, ignoring the slacked jaws of everyone else. He was audacious enough to treat a dragon like that?! Granted, it was sealed inside a Sacred Gear, but still!

"What are you two talking about!? It´s as if you´ve known each other for an eternity, but that´s not possible!" Rias asked, getting a glare from Instinct. "Oh, we do though. I´ve known the bastard long enough to have seen him in his true form. Wings, tail and all." And that shut up everyone else for good. Just how old was this guy?!

" **Well, I´m sorry to say kid, but you can´t kill me. Not in this form. This sealed form may keep me from fighting myself, but it also grants immortality. You can´t hurt me."** Ddraig said, eliciting a dark chuckle from the newly unsealed man. "Well, that´s fine. I know you and Mister White like to fight using proxies, in this case, this pervert." He stated, pointing at Issei. "But that doesn´t mean I can´t hurt you. All I have to do is get rid of said proxy and you´ll disappear into the ether for another century or two before coming back. I´ll never allow you to fight each other again. So, let me just get rid of this one right away." He drew his sword, and got ready to stab Issei right in the neck.

"NO!" Asia threw herself on top of her crush, holding him tight. She would not allow him to die! She might be useless when it came to healing him now, but she wouldn´t allow him to be hurt anymore! "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? CAN I JUST DO THINGS I WANT TO WITHOUT SOMEONE THINKING THEY HAVE TO PLAY THE DAMN HERO!? COME ON!" Instinct yelled, making Asia hold on tighter, refusing to let go. "Look, I know you love him, all that jazz, but you´ll get over it! Just let me get the satisfaction of banishing this dragon where it belongs!" "NO! I WON´T LET ISSEI-SAN SUFFER ANYMORE!" she cried, pulling Issei´s limp body away from the crazed warrior.

Instinct ground his teeth together in frustration. This was the one thing he would remain stubborn about. He would not let this overgrown lizard roam free any longer. "I´ll count to three, you hear? Then I´ll just kill both of you! So, _move or_ _die_! One!"

She didn´t do anything.

"TWO!"

She pulled her crush closer to herself.

"THREE! ALRIGHT, DI-"

He was struck by two fireball and a ball of condensed dark. He turned around, furiously staring down Riser, his sister and Rias, who were meeting his gaze with their own, steeled gaze. "I won´t let you harm my servant, Instinct! Leave!" Rias shouted at him, stoking his rage. Riser just formed another fireball. "Give it up, Rias. He won´t budge. You´ll have to use force. Literal force." He threw his fireball, which was slashed right out of the air. Then, for the umpteenth time that day, Instinct´s body was hit from behind by a powerful punch from a Rook, sending him careening of the roof. For a second, they let down their guard, before he just jumped back up, his expression twisted into a barely recognizable shape.

"You know, I don´t usually hurt women. But when they get in my way of revenge, I don´t care. Anyone in my way gets removed. Forcefully." He charged forward, rapidly closing in on the team. His first target was Rias. She blinked, which nearly resulted in her demise, had Riser not pushed her to the floor, punching Instinct in the face with a fiery fist, which was immediately followed up by Koneko, who kicked the man right through the floor. It still didn´t do anything as he jumped back up, albeit a bit calmer than before.

"You know, Koneko, you were always his favorite. My other half´s, I mean." This caught the Rook of guard, making her blush a deep red. "What are you-" she began, but when she saw the furious glint in the eyes staring her down, she halted all her thoughts. "I guess I´ll have to apologize to him later for killing you." He dashed toward them, and this time, he was calmer than ever before, and they knew that this time, they wouldn´t be able to do anything to him. Not when he was calm enough to judge his situation. So Riser and Rias looked at each other, coming to a silent agreement.

"I, Rias Gremory, give up!"

"I, Riser Phenex, give up!"

And so, right before Instinct could slice them to shreds, all of them were teleported out of the arena, leaving only a furious Instinct standing in it. There was no announcement to signal the end. The vengeful madman then started destroying the entire arena to bent his frustrations, until they came. There were so many of them. Over ten thousand, surely. They had come to capture him. But he didn´t go down without a fight. The battle lasted a long time, those watching on their screens being unable to look away from their soldiers fighting, and yet, many of them told their servants to get them a bucket after seeing the veritable slaughter that was going on in there.

But, after a long battle, even the mighty warrior fell, and was brought deep into the dungeon, while the aristocrats of Hell decided what to do with him. Some wanted to lock him up forever, keep the danger contained. Others wanted to dissect him, and use his DNA to create an unstoppable army. Someone even proposed to send him and his cell into space, so he may never come back again. And yet, none of them had the slightest idea for what was to come in the future…

 **And so, the chapter ends on a more open note than usual, even after all the cliffhangers. What will become of Instinct and Rider? Has Riser truly changed? How will Kiba and Akeno react to his imprisonment? Will Issei already get to fondle boobs? Okay, that last one can be spoiled: a definite Probably Not.**

 **Anyways, if you have any sort of criticism or weird and wonderful theories, leave a review! And if not, still leave a review! If you can´t tell, after last chapter´s severe lack of reviews, I´ve realized that I might be slightly addicted to them.**

 **But who cares?! I´ll see you in the next chapter (hopefully(plz come back(it´s so lonely in this basement)))! Bye!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I´m back! Sorry it took so long, but the last few weeks were basically the worst possible scenario for this fanfic. First, the day after the last chapter was released, I got sick for a whole damn week, then, to soothe my poor soul, I bought Hollow Knight. Great game. Wasted damn near two weeks in that wonderful game. Oh, fyi, buy it. Anyway, then came the Summer Sale. Oh boy.**

 **Well, suffice to say, that´s gonna keep me busy for a while. Also, might do a oneshot about Hollow Knight. Well, that´s irrelevant right now. Let´s just hop in, eh?**

 **ultima-owner: Yeah, Riser´s parents are kind of dickish in this story. I´ll let them meet Instinct one day though, don´t worry about that! Oh yes, that will be fun to write. About the white dragon…I have something special planned for him. And with that, I´m off!**

 **Guest: Well, I don´t exactly know what your so-called ´bullshit alarm´ is blaring for, but alright. Perhaps it broke or something. Anyways, here´s the next chapter, so I hope your curiosity is satisfied. For now.**

 **Goldenclaw: I´ll not talk more about my addiction. It´s a horrible thing. But as for Instinct, he´ll be gone for a while. Rider is back, baby!**

 **Anon: …I´ll withhold my comments on that.**

 _In front of them stood two great dragons, fighting relentlessly. They traded mighty blows, causing the world around them to shake with every attack. They were so caught up in their battle that they didn´t even notice the two pairs of eyes glaring at them from a distance. Silently, they looked at each other, and nodded. They drew their swords, and dashed toward the beasts with a mighty roar. The beasts stopped their battle for a moment, and turned their heads toward them, their glare piercing right through them._

 _They weren´t deterred, though. In fact, they felt empowered, running at the dragons even faster. Said dragons shot each other a look, then fully turned around, roaring loud enough to deafen any mortal man nearby, and started glowing as they wound up for a punch. The two challengers raised their own weapons, and jumped up to meet the beasts´ attacks. Swords clashed against scales. Energy crackled in the air as the fighters struggled against the dragons, which ended with a gigantic explosion. Then, only dark remained. A voice echoed through the void._

" _It´s time to wake up, man."_

Rider awoke with a gasp. He was panting, sweating like a damn pig. He would wipe it off, but that proved to be quite difficult, seeing as, well, he was in prison again. And he was attached to the SAME FUCKING TORTURE DEVICE. Every hour or two, there were shocks incoming. Granted, not half as powerful as the ones he´d endured back then, but still. They hurt quite a bit, and brought up memories of endless shocks and beatings. He was just grateful that here, the shocks were much weaker and his captors didn´t give him a ´nice, good beating´, as the Chain would put it.

" _You okay? You look like you´ve gone through hell. It was just a dream, man."_ The voice in his head asked, causing Rider to groan in annoyance. This idiot had told him how he ended up in this prison, and ever since he´d questioned whether it was worth letting him out in the first place. Killing a child because of a dragon in their arm? Not cool. When Instinct heard this, he answered that Rider wanted them dead too, he just "didn´t know yet". So, helpful as he is, he said that he wouldn´t outright tell him, that wouldn´t help with the amnesia Rider apparently had. So, he would show him glimpses of his past through dreams, and see if Rider remembered anything. They´ve been doing this for quite a while now, and there were no results. At this point, Rider believed that Instinct was playing a prank on him, because everything he saw did absolutely nothing for him. Instinct mentioned that he was not the best when it came to jogging memories or teaching someone. He was mainly the brute force that helps by killing shit.

Rider sighed, and froze for a second as he remembered something. Usually, he was woken up by shocks. Why had he not been this time? His answer arrived when a metal door creaked open. He didn´t bother looking up, as it was impossible to see with cloth on your eyes. Besides, he could guess what was coming. Heavy footsteps echoed through the room, and they drew closer and closer with each one, until the person came to a stop right in front of Rider, who steeled himself for a session of torture. They must´ve noticed that the shocks weren´t hurting him as much as they wanted them to, so now they´ll torment him themselves. He trembled slightly. Would the shocks become stronger too? Would he relive the last eternity again, after such a short amount of freedom?

His blindfold was removed, but he still couldn´t see clearly, but not because he had to adjust to the huge amount of light in the room. No, it felt like the room was darker without the cloth on his face. How that worked, Rider did not know. He looked up, but couldn´t discern the jailer´s face. He didn´t feel anything from him, no emotions, nothing. He then felt, to his surprise, the contraption that kept him prisoner go loose, making him fall to the ground. He had no energy to stand up. He couldn´t run away. He was picked up by the jailer and tossed over his shoulder before the man walked out of the room. Where was he taking him?

There was still that distinct lack of light in the hallway they were in, though it was slightly brighter than before. Rider heard the door close before he was carried through the hallway. They apparently passed many cells, judging from the moaning and the screams. Just how many were kept here, only to be tortured for eternity? The trek the two were on felt like it lasted forever, the terror and pain of the inmates driving Rider to near insanity. He just wanted it to end. But he knew it wouldn´t. They´d toss him into a darker cell, one with a more potent torture device.

But then, another door opened, and he felt like it was all washed away by the blinding light. His worries, the agony he just witnessed, everything. He squinted his eyes, feeling like they would burn up if he didn´t. He was put down on what felt to be a couch. Sighing in relief, he felt for the end of it, and lied down on it. It was just right. Like the couch in the mansion. He felt more comforted than ever, right here, on this couch, although he knew this was still the prison.

He tried to look at the jailer, but realized they had already left as he heard the door slam shut. Oh well. It´s not like he could actually see anything at this point. He relaxed, and waited for someone to pick him up. They had to, after all. Why else would they take him out of his cell and put him on something as comfortable as this couch? After a few minutes, nothing had happened, and he was getting anxious. Why was he still here? Was this perhaps his new cell? No, it couldn´t be.

He sat up, and found that his eyes had finally adjusted to the brightness of the room, which looked like a waiting lobby of some kind. The floor consisted of white tiles, and although there was a window, there was nothing he could see beyond it, only darkness. There was barely any decoration, only a picture of a man with orange hair and a black set of armor patting someone on the back, a boy that looked similar. They looked as if they could be related to each other. Perhaps they were father and son?

He tried to stand up, but found himself to be a bit stiff. Rider stretched himself, his bones cracking loudly, probably loud enough to be heard through the door. Speaking of, that door looked expensive. It had golden knobs, and the wood was the darkest brown imaginable, and it gave off a weird vibe, as if it were…alive. Rider shook his head. Probably his imagination. He tried to stand up again, which still took some effort, but he did it, and he walked around a bit, albeit quite slowly and unbalanced, to wake his legs, which had fallen asleep during his stay in the dungeon.

His attention was drawn again to the window. He felt compelled to look out, to survey his surroundings. He walked over, and saw absolutely nothing. There was only a black void behind the glass, and yet, he felt like something was watching him. He touched it, but it was just glass. No magic portal or anything like that. He squinted his eyes, and thought to be able to make out some silhouettes, but was ripped from his thoughts when the door creaked open, prompting him to turn around. It was the grey haired maid from earlier.

"Follow me, please." She said without so much as a hint of emotion, and he silently obeyed her order. They walked out into the corridor, and she wordlessly turned left. Curious, Rider looked to the right, and only saw a huge pair of metal doors, from which anguish seemed to seep permanently. He immediately turned on his heel and followed the devil. No way was he going to even look at a prison´s doors. He feared the screams of his former fellow inmates. Besides, he´s had enough time in prison to last a lifetime.

After a short walk, they arrived in a large office, the walls of which were lined with paintings, statues and other pieces of art. Opposite the door stood a ginormous desk, which was mostly empty, save for a few books. Behind it was a chair that was turned away from them, facing a window on the other end, from which light surged into the room. The maid walked up to the desk, Rider following suit, and knocked on the desk to announce their presence. The chair turned around slowly.

In it sat a young man, seemingly twenty-ish years old, with red hair and ridiculously fancy clothing. The robe he wore had broad shoulder pads, and looked like it could double as armor, judging from all the metal covering his torso and the extent to which his shape was obscured by it. It was coloured in a dark blue, gold cutting through it in some parts. His hands just barely were out of the robe, and said hands were folded in front of his face. The man stood up, and nodded toward the doors, and the other devil swiftly turned around and closed it before standing in front of it. Probably to ensure Rider didn´t try to flee. Well, there was no chance of him doing that.

"Well, let´s get right to business, ´Mister Samurai´." Rider twitched upon being called that. It was aggravating, to say the least. There was a very small group of people allowed to use that name, and even then, he didn´t approve of it. "My name is Sirzechs Lucifer. I´m one of the four Great Satans. To put it simple, we´re the most powerful, so we´re in charge." Rider nodded at the man´s words. It was a simple enough system, and there was some sense behind it. Without pause, Sirzechs continued: "You´ve caused quite the uproar. Your little…performance, it was quite shocking to us. Brought up bad memories. I assume you know what I´m talking about." He said, confusing Rider. He had no clue what this man was talking about. What bad memories? Heck, he didn´t exactly know what it was that Instinct did, but he´d find out later. After the guy woke up from his ´nap´, which he took once Rider was dumped on the ´Couch of Comfort´, as he dubbed it.

"Naturally, many of those who were traumatised back then want to lock you up. Permanently. Hell, some wanted to send you into space to suffocate. Until they found out you came from there, that is. You have my dear sister and her servants to thank for that." Rider held up a hand making the ruler of Hell pause. What sister did he mean? He didn´t know many devils, and this man didn´t really share any resemblance to those he knew. Except for…

Sirzechs chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot. We don´t look much alike apart from our hair, but Rias is my little sister. She really fought hard to convince everyone to let you out, you know. Told us all about your past to earn you some sympathy. In the end, it was what made them order the shocks. Sorry about that." Since he actually sounded like he was sorry, Rider accepted the apology. He didn´t know how hard it was to rule a bunch of aristocrats, but it happened because of good intentions. He couldn´t blame those.

"Anyway, you should know why you´re standing here now. We finally convinced those stubborn old geezers that you should be free. What´s with that look? Just because I´m the leader of those guys doesn´t mean I can´t insult them when they do stupid, irresponsible things. Like locking up a good man, and using a testimony to torture said man further. I might not agree with Intinct´s methods, but in the end, the only ones he killed were Phenex soldiers, who were trying to imprison both of you. That, and my sister´s servant, though we don´t know why yet, so I´ll reserve judgement on that. Now, we got you out, but we had to give in to some conditions."

Rider frowned. Those better not include him being made a servant to someone. In that case, he´d rather risk a breakout. Without the help of a certain rabbit, though, and without his weapons. He didn´t care. He´d find a way. "You will be under surveillance, at all times. You´ll live in an apartment on earth, together with one of my friends. Also, said friend will have your weapons. You´ll only get them in an emergency. That is all." Oh. Well, that seems fair. Though he was slightly doubtful about one bit. How would he blend into society? "I know what you´re thinking. ´How will they get me to blend into human society´? Sound about right?" Yes, indeed. This guy is sharp. Another devil Rider could have a battle of wits with. He would greatly enjoy their conversations in the future, if they met again, though preferably in a different location.

"Well, that´s easy. The Gremory Clan is rich. Filthy rich. And as thanks for your help in uncovering the Phenex´ motivations, we´re spending that money for you. Extensively. Don´t worry, you won´t have to pay us back. We already got you a passport and a huge selection of clothes. If you need more money, for whatever reason, ask my sister. We´ll gladly give you more if you need it." Rider raised an eyebrow. Why? He was being busted out of jail by the Gremorys, and he technically was only on probation, so why were they willing to offer him a part of their wealth?

"You´ve done us a huge favour after all, helping Rias and her servants get closer to their dreams, and getting my dear sister out of that engagement. It´s been haunting her since her childhood, you know. You even straightened out that playboy, which I believed impossible. Though that was technically Instinct, wasn´t it? Eh, it doesn´t matter, really. I cannot thank you both enough. But, I suppose I shouldn´t keep you any longer. You should be on your way now. Grayfia, warp him to the place, if you please. I have work to do." She nodded, and deftly tattooed Rider for the ride, and bowed to her master before casting her magic to warp them away.

Sirzechs sank back into his seat, sighing. "Good grief. It really is him. Rias…let´s hope you´re right. I never want to see _that_ happen again." He looked at a picture on his table before shaking his head and opening a letter, which had a seal in the shape of a halo.

Rider found himself in front of a big building, with many balconies lining it´s side, though barely anyone seemed to live in it, judging from the lack of lights at this hour. It was night-time, though he could still see some orange in the sky. He looked at the maid, who briskly walked toward the front door and looked at the buttons next to it. She found what she was looking for, and pressed a certain button. Rider slowly stepped behind her, surveying his new home. Well, his temporary home, until he got the Gremorys to fix his wingsuit. Speaking of, he should probably salvage that from where he left it before some random passer-by finds it.

When he arrived at the door, it opened, and she resumed her brisk walk inside and went up the stairs. Rider followed as usual, and came past several doors on each floor that stood opposite each other and showed signs of wear, indicating the lack of inhabitants in the building. As he walked more and more stairs, the doors got more and more downtrodden. Finally, the maid stopped, after about seven flights of stairs, and knocked before stepping back for some reason. When Rider caught up, he found out why.

"Grayfia-chan! I missed you!" came a squeal from the door that opened rather forcefully. And, unfortunately, right into Rider´s face. He was dazed for a second and had to hold on to the railing to not fall down the stairs. Once he regained his bearings, he was slightly confused at the sight. The maid was being hugged by a girl that looked to be in her teens, with long ebony hair that was made into twin-tails, and was wearing a weird outfit. It looked like the ones the girls in the manga wore when they fought demons. Who always had tentacles in some form. Those books were weird.

Meanwhile, Grayfia looked really awkward in the arms of this cheerful cosplayer. It was almost cute. The girl turned toward him and gasped as she realized her own mishap. "Oh! I´m so sorry! I didn´t see you there!" she said, bowing multiple times in quick succession in an apologetic, yet silly manner. Rider looked at her in mild amusement before it clicked. This was Sirzechs´ friend and his roommate. He had many questions about this. One, how on earth was a serious man like Sizechs friends with this, with all due respect, weirdo. Two, how in the Majestic Crabs´ name could someone like her – wait. Rider had made this mistake before, when he fought the Line. Never judge someone´s fighting capabilities by their exterior. They may just hide their strength in order to spring a surprise attack.

"Um, hello? Anyone there? You´re spacing out already." The cosplayer said, walking up to him and knocking on his head, derailing his train of thought. He took a step back to get some distance between them, seeing as her face was uncomfortably close to his, but felt that he couldn´t, as there was no floor where he was putting his foot. Only stairs. So he took the obvious course of action, and flicked her forehead, making her step back a little and hold her, erm, wound, if you could call it that.

"You big meanie! What was that for! Is that how you treat a lady?! And after I cleaned the whole apartment, too! Hmph! Grayfia, put him back into the dungeon! I changed my mind, Rias-chan was wrong, this guy is just a big meanie!" she cried, rubbing her forehead and pointing an accusing finger at Rider. He was just deadpanning at her childishness and shrugged as the maid looked at him in slight gratefulness for taking the brunt of her attention away from her.

"Serafall-sama, I´m afraid that´s impossible. The bill to release him has already been signed by every Great Satan, including you. And you know that retracting your signature is impossible." She stated calmly, making Rider blink. Did he hear that correctly? No, that can´t be it. Yes, he had some problem with his ear. Because he just heard that this weird child was on the same level as Sirzechs and ruled over Hell.

"Oh, phooey. You´re such a buzzkill, Grayfia-chan. Whatever. I guess I´ll forgive you for your rudeness. Anyways, I believe introductions are in order." She all but declared loudly, striking a pose. "I am Serafall Leviathan, one of the Great Satans who rule over Hell, but I´m more commonly known as Levia-tan, the uncontested star of Hell´s television network!" she boisterously yelled, making Rider hold his ears shut. This was too loud! He could even see some parts of the wall flake off of it due to the sound. Not good. She was about to open her mouth to continue, but before even Grayfia could do anything, another voice echoed through the building.

"BE QUIET, YOU DAMN YOUNGSTERS!" came an elderly voice from below. They all leaned over the railings, and saw a small, old lady with round glasses standing at the bottom of the stairs waving a cane around angrily. Rider turned toward Serafall, who looked the tiniest amount of embarrassed. It didn´t last though, and she returned to her usual self immediately. "I´m sorry, Kaiya-san! I promise I won´t do it again!" she yelled down at the same volume, making the other two sweatdrop.

"THAT´S WHAT YOU TOLD ME THE LAST SEVEN TIMES! I´VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU!" she held a hand up to her chest to emphasize her point. "ONE MORE TIME AND YOU´RE OUT! UNDERSTAND?!" "Yes, Kaiya-san!" came the immediate response, before the expression of the old woman softened before she walked out of view. Rider looked at Serafall with a questioning gaze, to which she responded with a shrug before commenting that she always got another chance by bringing her mushrooms. Kaiya-san loves them, apparently. They finally entered the apartment, after bidding Grayfia goodbye, though she did not escape another hug, much to her dismay.

Rider sighed as he looked at the living room he´d been brought to. There it stood, majestically, in all it´s glory. The firmness that lay within each of them, perfectly in harmony with the softness they provided, making them easy to shape into whatever form he wished, like clay, in a way. And they felt so nice to the touch, as if they were made just to be grabbed and be toyed with, in any way imaginable. And yet, he knew they were made to rest your head in. Because he was so damn tired. And that round, soft cushion looked perfect to rest his weary body in. He jumped onto the couch, and felt his consciousness drift away. Before something whispered in his ear, softly:

" _Dinner is served."_

He shot up, banging into Serafall´s head, making her fall onto her bum in the process. He ignored her complaints as he walked toward the table in the room, his mouth watering. What delicacies would he feast on today? He looked at the contents, and saw a chicken leg that was burned to a crisp. Completely black. Perhaps that´s part of the recipe. He turned his head, and saw a closed pot. Eagerly, he opened it. The rice was, in some magical way, burned black. Fair enough. Must be a special way to make it tastier. He found another pot, and he opened it, and was delighted to find soup in it. He picked up a spoon, and had a taste.

Oh. Oh no. He restrained his urge to vomit all over the place as he slowly, but surely managed to swallow the brew. He turned toward his roommate, who was cheerfully smiling next to him. "Do you like it? I made it myself! It´s the first time I ever cooked! So-" she was cut off as he shoved a spoon of soup into her mouth, her eyes widening. It was disgusting. She tried to pry the spoon from his hands so she could spit it out, but he didn´t let go of it. And so, after a long, anguishing minute, she swallowed the last of it, and she fell to the floor, gagging and coughing. After a while, she looked up at him, her disgust being replaced with a defeated expression.

"How about we order some pizza?"

 **And so, the first chapter of the next saga ends. How will it continue? No fucking clue. But hey, that just makes it more exciting, doesn´t it? I´ll see you next time. Oh, and reviews plz. I need them for my addiction. My doctor says I´ll die if I don´t get my fix.**

… **Bye!**


	25. Chapter 25

**And so, I return, much earlier than before. Let´s get to the reviews!**

 **Anon: Still refrain from commenting. And thanks for the compliment! I do try to make him look far more harmless once he hears about food. It gives him a weakness of sorts, which is important, seeing as the bugger is OP as nobs.**

 **ultima-owner: It sure is. And she knows it.**

 **Anon(again): …yeah. I hate touch screen too. Especially if it reacts without being fucking touched. Thank you Samsung.**

 **Well then, I won´t keep you any longer! I´ll see you at the end of the chapter, with my new imaginary girlfriend! YEAH, I GOT ONE. GET ON MY LEVEL, BITCHES. HAHAHAHA!**

Rider woke up rather late the next morning. He looked out of his window, which was positioned on the wall opposite of his bed. The sky was completely grey, and he could hear the drops falling onto the glass, though the space between the sounds made him conclude that it was only drizzling a bit, barely as rain. Slowly, he sat up, and looked over his room. He was too tired to look at it in detail yesterday, seeing as when he ate dinner, which was provided by a random teenager yesterday, his roommate forced him to watch the show she starred in. And while he had to admit that her acting was leagues beyond her ability to cook, that didn´t mean he was willing to watch three seasons in one night. Unless, of course, he was threatened with homemade eggs and bacon. That got him on board pretty quickly.

Though he did wonder why that teenager was so red in the face when the door was opened. Either it was because of Serafall´s attire, or he misunderstood when he saw Rider, thinking he was the girl´s boyfriend. And though Rider had to admit that she was good-looking, there was no way in hell he´d consider dating her. For one, she couldn´t cook. And while he wasn´t one to say that women belonged in the kitchen, he was one to know his own bounds. He wished that at least one in the relationship could cook, and he definitely couldn´t. And he honestly had to say that the pizza, while tasty, would taste better if made at home.

But that was irrelevant right now. He yawned as he took a closer look at his new home. It was nice and tidy, thankfully, so the devil had cleaned up quite well. Next to his bed, which sat right next to the door, stood his closet. He´d take a look inside it later, and so he took in the rest of his room. There was a desk beneath the window, which offered a view over the street below. The sounds of cars could be heard, though they were few of them, and there were so far between that there might as well have been none. The desk itself was small. Made of white wood, and had a laptop placed on top of it, though it took barely any space. He could easily fit four of those on top of it if he so wished.

Next to the desk stood two large bookshelves, filled to the brim with, well, books. He looked more closely, and found that the one next to the desk contained books that appeared to be more of the kind scholars would read, judging from the leather that they were bound in. He walked over and picked one out at random. He opened it, and in the front was a picture of a young man, probably around thirty years old. Below it was his name, which took him a while to decipher. It was Rousseau. He only managed to find it out with the help of the convenient dictionary in the same shelf. Turns out that the Gremorys thought of everything. The title, after a quick check, was deciphered as ´Émile où de l´éducation´. Or, in a language he understood, ´Emil or on education´. He would read this later. He won´t need it, but it sounds quite interesting. Especially since according to the date beneath his portrait, this guy lived around 400 years ago.

He placed it back into the shelf, and turned to the other one, and found a familiar sight. This one contained books similar to the one in the mansion back during training. In fact, once he got a better look, he found it to contain the exact same books as said shelf. It probably even was the exact same one. They literally dragged that thing all the way over here? Oh, wait. Magic. That kind of made it easy, didn´t it?

Well, it was nice to know he could read manga whenever he wanted to now, but he focused on a bigger issue. His growling stomach. He strolled over to the door, and opened it. He took a deep breath, and sighed in relief when he couldn´t smell anything. No horrible cooking to deal with. Excellent. He entered the hallway, and checked his surroundings. On one end was a glass door behind which he recognized the living room, on the other was the entrance to his new home. Right in front of him was a room that had a pink bow on it. It wasn´t hard to guess who´s room it was.

He closed his door and went into the living room, taking notice of the light snoring as he opened the door. He peeked over the couch, and there was his roommate, sprawled over HIS COUCH. His slight rage was calmed immediately though, as he noticed that her clothing had shifted during her sleep, which made her look quite indecent. Quickly, Rider looked away, and went back into his room. He picked up his blanket, and ran back to throw it over her. Sighing, he scratched his head. He was just glad Instinct was still ´asleep´, however that worked. He turned around, and found that the kitchen was behind a counter of sorts, to the side of the couch.

He took a look over the counter, and found a small table with a few chairs around it in the middle of the room. The surrounding area was mainly occupied by a stove, an oven, and a bunch of cupboards. He quickly walked into the small room, and noticed a small note on the table. He picked it up, and on it, in a overly cute writing, the following was written:

"Hey, we´re in need of some bread. Please pick some up at the bakery. It´s right around the corner, and there´s a map on the back of this note. Just tell them it´s the one that Levia-tan usually orders, and you´ll be fine. And you better hurry up! I really don´t want to work on an empty stomach. Now, get going! I really want to have breakfast as soon as I wake up!"

After the last sentence, a big, golden-coloured star was drawn on the note. Sighing, Rider folded it and went back to his room. Before he left, he threw the sleeping devil a dirty look. He´d get her back for this. Someday. He went back to his room, and opened the closet. There were suits. Many, many suits. Some blue, some red, some black, some white, and was that one camouflaged? The selection was huge, and yet he found the variety lacking. Perhaps because he isn´t an accountant. He wanted something a little different than just suits. He groaned, and checked the trouser compartment on the bottom. Thankfully, there were some more normal things, similar to what his students wore when they first met. There were some nice, azure jeans which he decided were good enough for the task at hand.

After he put them on and thanking the Majestic Crab deities that they had the right size, he picked up his jacket from the floor, and put it on. It was quite comfy. He should wear it more often. He went into the hallway, and put the note into his pocket. He would need it later. Right in front of the door, was a small alcove where some shoes were placed, a mirror gracing the wall. He found a pair of shoes that was to his liking, and he slipped his feet in, not having to tie any laces due to the lack of them. He looked at himself in the mirror. He could somewhat pass as a human, and he didn´t look half bad, if he did say so himself.

He opened the door, and noticed the keys in the keyhole. He pulled them out, and got out, closing the door behind him. He locked it, and put the keys in his pocket. He then descended the stairs, one at a time. After a few floors, he took notice of a sweeping sound that got louder the more he descended. Once he arrived at the bottom, he saw the source. It was the old lady from the day before, sweeping the entrance to the building. She sighed as she swept, seemingly tired. He decided that he might as well greet her, so he walked up behind her and lightly tapped her shoulder, making her jump up in surprise.

"Goodness me! Don´t scare me like that! Hold on, I don´t believe I´ve seen you before. Who are you?" she exclaimed in rapid succession, rendering Rider speechless. He shrugged it off quickly though and handed her the note in his pocket. After reading it, the lady looked at him, scrutinizing him closely. "So, you´re the one who that girl was waiting for, hm?" her gaze became even harder. "I do hope that you are more restrained than her." Rider nodded, making her expression soften and she handed him the note.

"Well, that´s good. I think I should introduce myself. My name is Furukawa Kaiya. You can just call me Kaiya-san, though, I don´t really mind. As the landlord of this complex, I welcome you here. I do hope you enjoy your life here." She sighed wistfully. "Even though right now, there are only three people living here. And one of them is your annoying roommate. Actually, what IS your relationship? I do hope I won´t hear her moan all too loud now." Kaiya wiggled her eyebrows with a grin. Rider just blinked before shaking his head slowly. He pointed up, and then made an annoyed expression, making Kaiya´s eyes widen, before tearing up.

"Finally…someone who sees past her youth and cute exterior and sees her for what she truly is…! We´ll get along just fine, I just know it." She wiped away her tears before looking at him questioningly. "By the way, you don´t seem to talk much. If you don´t mind me asking, are you by chance incapable of talking?" She inquired, and Rider nodded, making her gaze fall to the floor. "I see. I´m terribly sorry. But you know, look on the bright side of life. Because you can´t talk, we´ll get along swimmingly!" she smiled. She then looked at her wristwatch.

"I shouldn´t be keeping you. The bakery closes soon." Rider´s eyes widened. No. Then there would be no breakfast. He would not have it. Noticing his panic, Kaiya giggled, and pointed down the road. "Just head that way. The bakery is right around the corner. Literally. Go on, now. Wouldn´t want to be the reason for you not getting lucky tonight, eh?" Her teasing grin was replaced with hearty laughter when he bowed in gratitude and took off. Oh, the next few weeks would be fun. She just knew it. With renewed vigour, she swept the sidewalk.

Rider ran, he ran like never before. He arrived at the corner in the blink of an eye, and turned around it, and in that moment, he lost hope. He saw a bearded man close up the store with ´Bakery´ written on a sign on it. He charged toward it, and he was there in the blink of an eye. He patted the man on the shoulder, making him turn around.

"Sorry sir, the bakery´s closed. Come back tomorrow." Rider ignored this, and took out the note Serafall wrote, and handed it to the man. He took it, and with widened eyes and a smile, he opened it again. "Alright. I do owe Levia-tan a favour. I´ll go get your bread. Oh, and don´t bother paying. I´ll put it on her tab." He entered the store, and came out with two bags, which Rider eagerly took. "You know, when you showed up, I kinda knew you were the one she told me about." Rider raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, she told me her roommate would pick up the bread today, and they wouldn't talk much. I would recognize them by the weird hair. You fit the bill." Oh, did he now? He´d have a word with that brat later.

"Oh, my name is Furukawa Ichiro, by the way. And yes, I am the son of your landlord. And though I don´t live around here, I still visit my mother quite often. It´s how I met Levia-tan, actually. She has quite the presence, if you know what I mean." Rider nodded. He understood perfectly. Once she enters a room, all eyes are glued to her. No matter who you are, you´ll find yourself looking at her. She was just that cheerful and loud. Ichiro sighed.

"Could you tell me something? Are the two of you…you know?" he asked hesitantly, to which Rider simply snorted. Just how many people would ask him that? It was stupid. Ichiro looked more cheerful now, and he locked up the door to his shop. "Well, it was nice meeting you here. We should talk again sometime. Well, if you want to, anyway. I might come over later this week, actually. Anyways, I´m off. Goodbye!" And then, with quick steps, the man walked away. Rider watched as he walked away, before he briskly walked back home.

Kaiya was gone, but he didn´t really care. There was something far more important at hand. His breakfast. He ran up the stairs, and within seconds, he was back in the apartment. He ran into the kitchen, and after a few seconds, the table was set. He wanted to start, however he decided that he´d wake the devil first. He really didn´t want to have to see, smell or taste her cooking again, and he had a feeling she force him to do all that and more if she didn´t have breakfast. He walked over to the couch, where she was still fast asleep. He went to remove the blanket before remembering the state she was in and recoiling. He wondered how to wake her up for a bit, and got an idea. It was a tad sadistic, but had that ever stopped him before? Also, he needed payback for the marathon last night.

He walked out of the room, and returned with a bag filled with white blocks. Grinning mischievously, he dumped it right on her face. Naturally, the ice cold sensation made her jump up with a cry, making her fall down onto the floor. She rolled around frantically, trying to warm herself up, causing her attire to expose even more of the bouncy goodness that was her chest as her top nearly came off. It was now that Rider wondered why on earth she didn´t wear a bra. It really didn't occur to him before.

"You meanie! Couldn´t you wake me up like a normal human being?! You - wait, where did this blanket come from? Was that you?" Rider nodded. "Aw, thanks! That´s so sweet!" She jumped up and hugged him, making him freeze up for two reasons. For one, he was surprised at how quick her mood shifted. It was almost scary. And second, there were two big mounds pressing up against him. And while it felt nice, he would prefer some distance. He wasn´t perverted enough to enjoy this properly.

" _But I am."_ And Rider nearly facepalmed. Instinct woke up now of all times? _"Of course. I feel the same stuff you do. Pain, pleasure, we both feel it. And I always recognize the feel of boobs. Every man does. They´re glorious. Now, on to more important things: who´s this chick? She´s hot. And where are we? What did I miss while I was asleep?! TELL ME!"_ Rider groaned in his head and explained it to his other half as fast as possible. After he was done, he could swear Instinct was even more enthralled by dear Miss Levia-tan.

" _Dude, let me out. I need to talk to her. NOW."_

But he was kind of unsure where that impression came from. In the meantime, Serafall was starting to feel a little awkward. She was hugging him closely, and yet she seemed to be completely ignored. Hell, at this point, she would usually feel something stick out in the man´s pants. Not here though. She looked up, and saw an expression that just screamed that he was tired of someone´s bullshit. Hers, perhaps? She did give him quite some trouble by sending him out into the world immediately, didn´t she? She let go of him, and bowed.

"I´m sorry for causing you trouble. Let´s eat breakfast." She then gave a short smile, and walked into the kitchen, before she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Confused, she was spun around and a hand pulled down her top. Oh. OH. OOOOOOOH. Blushing, she hit herself on the head and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment before turning around again. Perhaps she should consider wearing a bra, though she hated how it felt. It constricted her a bit much for her taste. She giggled slightly at his embarrassed expression though. It was too cute.

She took a seat, oblivious to the squabble of the two minds in front of her, and took out the bread from the bag. It was just how she liked it, long, thick and burned brown on the outside, yet with smooth, milky white insides. She would have to thank Ichiro for that another time. She sliced the loaf into a few smaller ones, and put two in her own plate and the others in Rider´s, who was still arguing in his mind. Instinct was _really_ persistent, so Rider took to ignore him and put some butter on his bread. Then, he was hit with quite the dilemma.

"Hey, I have to go to work after this. You should get a job as well."

Which combination of cheese and meat should he put on his sandwich? Ham and Cheddar?

"You see, while the Gremorys will pay your bills if they need to, it would be nice to not be a burden on them."

No, that was too easy. Salami and Gouda, perhaps?

"Anyhow, I already found a job for you that you´d be great at! Here is the address of the place. Just go ahead and send them your papers. There is an interview tomorrow."

Nonono. He needed something with a little more spice. Hmmm. How about putting on some peanutbutter as well?

"Wait, are you even listening?"

Yes, that was it. He would put on the Cheddar, add peanutbutter on top of that and add some Ham on top of all that. It would be perfect. He reached out to the cheese in question, but found that it was gone, stolen by the devil. He began to growl in anger as his hand shook, slowly balling up into a fist. And while it intimidated the girl, she didn´t show it, and instead repeated all she just said, promising beforehand that he´d get his food if he listened. Worked like a charm.

In the end, he looked thoughtful, and she handed him his cheese, which he took while still thinking. He finished preparing his sandwich just as she bit into hers, moaning lightly as she savoured her breakfast. Rider ignored it, and looked at the paper he was given. The place wasn´t right around the corner, seeing as he didn´t recognize the name of the street, but he had a feeling that he should apply as he looked at the name of the place. Kuoh Academy.

 **So, we´ll just leave it at that. Review plz, for every review I will write an answer and my imaginary girlfriend will do the smex with me.**

 **Yes Neptune, you said that. Wait, what do you mean you´re breaking up with me?! You´re my imagination, how can you break up with me? I literally control you, dammit! Hey, put that sword away – ack!**

 ***cough* scratch that bit about the smex…wait, is my liver supposed to – argh!**

 **Neptune here, he´s dead. From now on, I´m writing this shit! And for every review, I´ll upload a lewd picture of myself on my Instagram! Anyways, I have to dispose of a corpse now, so bye!**


	26. Chapter 26

**I´m back from the dead! Yeah! So, after my unfortunate accident last time, me and my imaginary gf decided to break up. Yes, it was mutual, don´t look at me like that.**

… **To the reviews!**

 **jordanlink7856: You don´t check this section, do you? Check it in chapter 17. You´ll find your answer there. If it satisfies you is another question. Although, since you apparently don´t read these anyway, is there a point to me answering at all? A great question, and there´s a simple answer. Yes, I´ll put it in. Because I can.**

 **ultima-owner: Have you even tried it? It´s great! Screw the norm! I have a dream, that one day, all sandwiches shall not be judged by their ingredients, but by the content of their taste!**

 **Mo Eazy: Thank you for pointing that out! That really was out of character, and it´s something that had to be remedied immediately. So, if you find any other contradictions, point them out. I´ll be sure to fix them in a day or two!**

 **Anon: No. Not here, not now. Next time, maybe. But not today.**

 **Alright, there we go. Let´s get right to it!**

Rider stood in front of the Academy. He looked at the bag containing his papers, and sighed. He´d checked his passport earlier, and his new name was Samurai Tatsuo. His gratitude for the Gremorys had vanished the second he saw the name, and he demanded that his roommate return his weapons so he could stab them a few times. But, in the end, his demands were repaid with a _wonderful_ dinner. He shivered as he thought about it. He would get his revenge later. For now, he´d get a job. How hard could it be?

He walked over the court, and noticed two boys fleeing from multiple girls that had wooden swords. He didn´t care enough to help. Judging from the girl´s indignant shouting, the boys had peeped, and were caught. _"Hmph, filthy amateurs. A true man stands for what he does."_ Instinct scoffed, making Rider pray that his other half never got control. He might just ruin any trust the kids have for him before he even becomes a teacher. Also, peeping is despicable.

So, ignoring the high speed chase, he walked into the front door, and put on some house shoes that lay prepared for the interviewees. He continued on, and came across a mirror. He looked himself up and down. At least the suit suited him. Pun not intended **(It was. 100%).** He was wearing a black suit with matching pants, and brown leather shoes. He was still kind of miffed that he wasn´t allowed to wear his jacket as usual. Apparently, that would look ´ridiculous´ and would ´ruin his chances at getting the job´. Stupid devil. It looked cool.

He then moved on after ensuring he looked alright, and took the stairs up. He was told that the interviews would take place on the highest floor, in the principal´s office. He slowly made his way up, making a mental note to get more comfortable shoes when he got the chance. These ones were ridiculously inflexible and hurt whenever he took a step. Serafall told him that it was normal as they were new, but the ones he wore the day before to get some bread did not share this problem. Obviously, his wish to wear those had been denied. ´Not formal enough´, she said. Whatever.

He finally arrived at the top floor and found three other people sitting on a bench. Since there was still a spot, he took a seat as well. He glanced at his fellow competitors. They all seemed on edge, one tapping her foot in rapid succession, one nibbling at his finger nails, and the other trying to look calm, though the tight hold on the newspaper he was reading betrayed his nervousness. Rider decided to take out his manga he was currently reading. He opened it, and calmly followed the story. Currently, the protagonist was battling the ultimate lifeform with his ultimate ability – running away.

Rider admired him. While the protagonist was an idiot at times and did things that were plainly just comic relief, he also showed a manly side while acting like an utter coward at times. For example, his running away was a ruse to make the powerful monster he was facing chase him and ignore his allies. It was amazing, really, how the author managed to turn the concept of fleeing into a heroic act. Rider was blazing through the pages, and was completely oblivious to the surprised and somewhat arrogant stares of his peers. They couldn´t believe that someone who wanted to become a teacher could still be interested in something so childish. "Ah well", they thought. "One less competitor for me."

"Next." And so, one after another, they entered the room, five minutes each. Every time, they came out with a defeated expression, muttering to themselves about the stupid principal. "Next." The secretary didn´t seem to care though. After a while, Rider was the last remaining, and was impatiently tapping his feet. He had finished his book in record time and he needed to know how the story continued. Stupid cliffhangers **(How meta.)**.

"Next." He stood up and walked past his last competitor, who looked like he´d just lost all dignity and was wandering about like a zombie. Rider ignored him and entered into the office. He saw a single, solitary chair in the middle of the room, and in front of it, with some distance, stood a large wooden desk. Behind it was a woman with triangular glasses, whose piercing glare seemed far more intense than it should be, mainly because of the sparse lighting. It felt like her gaze could tear you open and see everything, your hopes, your dreams, your very soul, just for it´s cold nature to freeze all of them solid. Rider challenged her with his own, defiant look before taking a seat on the chair. The woman then spoke.

"I didn´t give you permission to sit yet. Stand up." Rider looked slightly annoyed, and stood up. The faster he got this over with, the faster he could read. Her gaze turned into a softer one, though only barely. "You may take a seat." Rider sat back down. She held up a brown folder. "So, since you had the audacity to send this the day before your interview, I assume that you have some outstanding qualities that redeem you for this job. After all, Kuoh Academy is one of the most prestigious high schools in all of Japan. So, let´s take a look at your curriculum, shall we?" she opened it, and pulled out a familiar piece of paper.

"Alright, name is Samurai Tatsuo…I assume that this is a joke." Rider shook his head, making her sigh. "This is a great start. The children wouldn´t even take you seriously. Moving on. Age: 23. A degrees in art and sports, respectively, though they´re not even Master diploma. Tell me, is this whole thing a game for you, sir? You expect us to just take anyone, even those without any higher education?" Rider shook his head again, and urged her to continue reading.

Sighing, she did so. "´I have taught martial arts for a tournament, which the pupils won´. Not bad, but not enough by far. ´I can paint on the level of one of the great artists of our time´. Now, this might make me consider hiring you. Could you produce this painting that is apparently on the level of fine art?"

And for the third time, Rider shook his head. He assumed that his students had kept the painting, but he didn´t have the means to reach them. Besides, why would they even trust him, after all that Instinct has done?

Frustrated, the principal sighed. "So you´re telling me that I should just believe you? That you´re that good?" Rider nodded, making her ruffle her hair in frustration. "You can´t be serious. You´re by far the least fit for the job of them all! You bring no great qualifications, you have no experience, and you are stupid enough to apply?! You know what, you´re hired!"

Rider´s thought processes came to a grinding halt. What did she just say? "I see you´re confused. I´ll repeat myself. You, Samurai Tatsuo, are hired." Rider raised an eyebrow and tilted his head questioningly. "Well, there are two reasons why I´ve decided to hire you. First, you didn´t shit yourself yet. The second those before entered, they began sweating like pigs and piss their pants. You kept a cool head, and actually challenged me. That´s excellent. If you give in to someone staring at you, how will you keep your cool in front of a whole class for hours on end? Someone like that isn´t fit to be a teacher."

"But you, despite missing a great education, you ticked the most important box: you can not only teach, you have the capacity to educate. There is a difference, mind you. Anyone can recite what they know and leg it. But only a handful of people can get the concept of a subject they teach to stick with another person, to make them understand, and never forget. That is what a teacher needs to do, and you´ve made the first step by showing that you, you yourself, are independent and can fend for yourself." She finished, making Rider slowly nod as he processed all this information.

"There is one more reason, though. I assume you know of this school´s past?" Rider shook his head. The principal stood up and let the light back into her office by opening the windows and looked outside. "This used to be a private, girls-only school. Then, one day, our investors demanded we make it a public school. This, of course, forced us to allow in boys as well. And those that came all were filthy perverts. They only came here to create their own ´harem´. And unfortunately, there is not much we can do about them. So, the only thing we did was allow violence on school grounds, if anyone was caught acting in an indecent manner. In the end, we always hear the same three boys screaming. In fact, it should be about that time of day again."

And right on cue, three voices cried out in panic and pain, one of which sounded rather familiar.

"But that is beside the point. A week ago, I got a message from our biggest investor. They said a man named Samurai Tatsuo would show up at an interview, and that we were to give him a job as an art and sports teacher. I thought it was a joke at first due to the name, but then they sent me this." She pointed at the wall, and Rider just gaped at what he saw. "I assume that is the painting you meant. Yes, they sent me that and told me an artist of that calibre would apply here. Honestly, they just had to show me the painting and I would´ve hired you, regardless of recommendation." She turned around.

"Anyways, we can handle the fine print at a later date. Just take this and sign it at home, and send it back to me. We´ll tell the students to expect a new teacher soon, and we´ll contact you as soon as we´ve handled all the organization and tell you when you can begin working. Now, you may take your leave."

And so, Rider stood up, bowed politely, and left. With no incident, he arrived back home, where Kaiya sat in a chair, reading the newspaper. When she noticed him, she smiled and asked if he had gotten the job. Upon his nod, her smile turned mischievous and she lightly elbowed him in the stomach. "Now then, don´t go around school picking up the girls, eh? Wouldn´t want to lose the job that quickly. Or tell me, is that the reason you got it in the first place?" She laughed boisterously when she saw his embarrassed, yet annoyed expression. What she did not know, was that the annoyance stemmed from a voice in his head.

" _YES! DEFINITELY!"_ Instinct shouted. Rider really wanted him to feel pain somehow. He´d deal with that later. Right now, he was preoccupied with the old lady´s teasing, which only intensified when she saw his expression. "Ohoho, I think I hit the nail on the head, didn´t I? Don´t worry, I won´t tell anyone. It´ll be our little secret. Ah, I feel like I´m back in highschool. Oh, but don´t mind me. I´m just an old woman. Anyways, do you have your eyes on someone yet?" She continued, still jabbing his torso and winking at him. Rider ignored Instinct´s swooning over his dear Levia-tan, and shook his head. He wasn´t interested in anyone. Not now, and probably not for a while. Kaiya dropped her teasing, and shrugged.

"Ah well, that´s not exactly bad. You´ll have loads of time to find the apple of your eye. Just don´t take too long, or get greedy. Or else, you´ll end up like me, old and alone." She looked solemn for a moment, staring into space, before remembering that he was still standing there. "Oh, forgive me. I seem to have spaced out for a moment. Well, that comes with age, I suppose." She checked her wristwatch. "Oh my, would you look at the time! It´s already time for lunch! If you´ll excuse me, I need to fix myself something to eat. Have a nice day." With a bow, she deftly picked up the newspaper that she placed on her chair and left. Rider in turn bowed as she did and ascended the stairs to his apartment. When he arrived at the top, he opened the door, and entered.

He found that no one was here, his roommate having gone to work. So, what did Rider do at lunchtime without anyone to disturb him? Well, except perhaps himself, but who cares. Well, Rider picked up the phone and opened the phonebook. After about twenty minutes, the bell rang, and Rider paid the teenager from earlier that week, although he looked rather miffed when he saw who opened the door. Nevertheless, he took the money, and left. Rider then sat down on his couch, sighing as he felt the comforting cushions catch him, and switched on the TV.

There was a news report about a large comet in a nearby solar system, but he switched the channel, not wanting to miss his show. He managed to see the final pieces of the opening, humming the tune till it was over. He watched as the blue haired ´aniki´ boarded the giant robot and brandished his sweet orange glasses. The next moment, all the opposing mechs were beaten into the ground, and the two protagonists were victorious. Rider munched on his pizza as he watched the show unfold. He continued watching until he was out of pizza, at which point he decided that it was time to take a nap, seeing as he had to wake up early for the interview and his show was over. The second he lied down in bed and shut his eyes did he drift off into the realm of dreams. For once, he didn´t dream of his apparent ´memories´. He had no dreams whatsoever.

A few days had passed when the call came. He would start working the very next day. So, as Levia-tan had no work that day, she decided to put him into every last suit in his closet to see which looked best. After all, he ´shouldn´t be an eyesore when teaching´. He only complied due to the imminent threat of dinner. If he had a choice in the matter, he would honestly have just put on his jacket and the jeans. Screw formality.

But, in the end, there was one combination that she described as ´perfect´, though when he saw himself in the mirror, he didn´t exactly see what she was talking about. It was just another suit, but with a different colour. But seeing as she was swooning about her fashion sense, he thought he might as well wear it. After switching back into his regular attire he checked his schedule. His first lesson would be in class 1-C.

Koneko was currently munching on a piece of chocolate. Her day so far had been nothing but boring. The lessons moved at an unbearably slow crawl, and she was able to solve any problem with ease. Add to the fact that her friends were not in the same class or absent, and it´s simple to see as to why she would be bored. Right now, her math class had ended, and she was descending to the bottom floor for an arts lesson.

It was kind of funny that arts, the lesson in which the teacher had mainly tried to teach them how to paint and was the most boring of them all, was in a different room altogether, as if it were something special. She scoffed at the mere idea. She could tell the teacher was here for the same reason as Issei, to be close to the many girls at this school. Although, she had heard that a new arts teacher had been hired recently. Somehow, he left such a good impression on the principal in the interview that she even slightly swooned for him, if her mild excitement could be called that. His first lesson was actually in her class. She just hoped that he would remain more professional than the last one and actually teach them something.

She entered the room, and sat down at her usual spot, finishing her chocolate as she waited for the teacher to arrive. As she waited, she took note of her classmates filing into the room, taking their seats, conversing with their friends, and generally having a jolly good time. In contrast, she was all alone here, she had no friends here. The boys either thought of her as a child or as a doll, a mascot for the school, and the girls despised her for it. Oh well. It´s not like she cared about them anyway. None of them knew of her true, devilish nature.

It had been more than five minutes now. Was this new teacher ever going to arrive? Or had he decided not to show up at all? She sighed as she heard her classmates voice similar concerns; although the prospect that they might have free time instead of lessons implied that the concerns were not about the teacher not showing up. Instead, they were more about the fact that he might still show up. Koneko didn´t have high hopes anyway. For all she knew, the teacher was fired immediately after the principal found out that he is a pervert as well.

So she instead looked at the walls she´d seen a few times to often this year. Just a big white emptiness, that´s all that was to see, really. Until her gaze fell onto something that halted all her thoughts and made her eyes widen. She´d seen that painting before. It was…!

The door opened, and she shot around in her chair. There he was. In a dark blue suit, coupled with matching trousers and black leather shoes, stood the one man she respected, the one teacher whose lessons she enjoyed. There, in the doorway, stood Mister Samurai.

 **I won´t even leave a comment. Just prepare for insanity next chapter.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Let´s just get to the reviews immediately, shall we?**

 **ultima-owner: That remains to be seen.**

 **Mo Eazy: I checked last chapter, and in my Word document, all apostrophes were right beside the letters, no spaces. Perhaps it´s some sort of format error once it gets uploaded to the doc manager on the site? I´ll check anyways.**

 **Alright, I´m viewing this in the doc manager right now, and I see what you mean. However, there are no spaces between apostrophes and letters that I can erase, so it´s just a bad format. Well, c´est la vie.  
**

 **Goldenclaw: You´ll hate me for what I do here.**

 **Off we go!**

The new teacher walked to his desk and took out a book and a pen from his bag, before seemingly comparing the room to whatever was written in said book. Koneko guessed that he was taking attendance, and was relieved that it was the silent teacher she knew instead of the brutal force of nature that got him locked up. Because she knew that if Instinct was in control, there was no way he wouldn´t do it according to protocol and actually ask the students if they were present. Shortly after, he closed the book and placed it on the desk and looked around the class. Then, he blinked before opening his mouth.

"Alright, I´m your new teacher, Samurai Tatsuo. Nice to meet you all. I do hope that our time together will end with you having learned something. Now then, let´s get straight to business. What has your last teacher taught you so far?" he spoke, making Koneko´s eyes widen and causing her to shake, although she concealed it from her classmates, who were giggling slightly at the name, much to the teacher´s chagrin. So it was the monster.

What was it doing here? And, more importantly, how did it get out of prison? And why did he call himself Samurai Tatsuo? If anything, that was her teacher´s name! Well, that wasn´t important. She needed to protect her classmates, who were oblivious to the danger this man was. Even if they were slightly confused that he was rather informal. So, Koneko raised an arm, being the diligent student she is. She knew that he was rather impatient, judging from their previous encounter, and she preferred not angering the beast.

"Alright, Toujou-san, shoot." He motioned for her to stand up, which she did, earning several glares from the girls, calling her a teacher´s pet. Their insults were petty to her, all based on senseless jealousy, so she ignored them, although Instinct looked rather displeased. He didn´t say anything, though.

"We have only been painting for the last three months, and from what he told us, that´s what we were to do for the rest of the year as well, Sensei." She explained in a neutral tone, keeping up the façade to not alarm her fellow students, but the glare she shot him did not go unnoticed by the teacher, who scratched his forehead in frustration for two reasons, only voicing one of them.

"So what you´re telling me is that all you´ve been doing is sit around and paint whatever? What exactly did you depict?" he asked, prompting a student in the front row to hold up a folder filled with their work of the last few months. Instinct took it, thanking the student, much to Koneko´s surprise, and flipped through it. Once he finished, he looked more annoyed than ever. He handed the student his folder before massaging his eyelids.

"That is the biggest waste of time I´ve ever seen, no joke. So many fruit bowls. Alright guys, tell me. Was painting all of that fun for you?" he inquired, earning many questioning looks. Finally, the students shook their heads. "Thought so. Alright, time to change that. I´ll be right back." And so, less than five minutes after entering did Instinct exit the classroom, leaving behind a class of confused students.

After a while, they resumed their conversations from before Instinct´s entrance, although the subject of conversation always swerved back to their eccentric new teacher. On one hand, he was really informal for a teacher and seemed to focus more on fun than the others, but on the other hand, the ten minutes of the lesson they had with him were spent with being late and asking what they´d learned up till now before he left immediately.

But before anyone realized, he was back, and carried a bowl of fruit. All of them sighed in frustration. Great. This would just continue as usual. He set the bowl on his desk and took a seat. "Alright, let´s get started. Since you´ve extensively painted bowls of fruit, I thought that I might as well do a little pop quiz. If you´ve painted these so often, then I´m quite sure you can tell me every angle one could take in painting it, correct? Well, let´s go. Raise your hands if you want to answer. Yes, Makoto-san."

The boy in question stood up, saying one could paint it as it is before sitting right back down. "Okay, so you´d paint it as generic as the paintings you´ve already drawn. Anyways, if you just draw it as is, that´s fine, but boring. Any other ideas? Ah yes, Anzu-san, please." He answered, and the girl in the last row stood up.

"How about one changes the lighting, or perhaps focuses more on the darker colours?" she said, sitting back down, although Instinct still seemed dissatisfied. "Alright, that´s a good approach, but still not the thing I´m looking for. How about I give you a hint? This is a lesson about art, not painting. So, take a different approach. Don´t just think about different ways to draw this bowl of fruit, but ways to turn this bowl into a piece of art. In fact, let me show you something. See that painting?" The class turned toward the painting on the wall, gasping as they realized such a beautiful piece had been hanging there the whole time.

"Tell me, do you believe that is art?"

They all nodded. They just couldn´t deny it. It was too beautiful. It made them appreciate just how pretty something that happened every day could be. "Well, first, thank you for the compliment, as I painted that. Second, you can tell that there is a difference between the stuff you´ve drawn and that painting. It´s honestly easy to spot. I´ll give you two minutes to think about it. After that, I expect most of you to be able to answer my question. In the meantime, I´ll have breakfast."

And so, before the students got over the shock of having such a talented teacher, they stared as he devoured the fruit in the bowl in the blink of an eye. Koneko, however, was still on guard, although she didn´t have to rack her brain for the answer. It was easy, as he said. She was quite furious, however, when he took credit for her teacher´s painting. She would confront him later about it. That´s when she saw his expression after he ate. It looked exactly like him, like the one she knew.

He winked at her.

…wait, what? Now, she was completely befuddled. What was that all about? She remained calm, though. She wouldn´t lose her cool here. She took a deep breath, and calmed down. Any blush that was on her face dissipated a split second after it manifested. She just hoped that no one saw that. The two minutes were over before the students knew it, and when they did, Instinct stood up, declaring that it was time to learn.

"So, have you figured it out? Why that painting is a piece of art, and those paintings of fruit aren´t?" after the question left his mouth, all the fingers in the room but one were raised, and he smiled proudly, although it was different from Mister Samurai´s smile. The true Mister Samurai, not this one. He picked Onizuka, a student known for his passion for art to answer, who explained what everyone was thinking in perfect detail.

"That painting causes us to feel something, it moves us. However, what we have created is not art, because it is bland, it causes no emotions." And with that, he sat down, earning a small applause from Instinct. "You hit the nail on the head, Onizuka-san. Now you know why the saying goes ´Art lies in the eye of the beholder´. If we don´t care about the thing depicted, we don´t think of it as art. More as a waste of paint. Or stone. After all, art comes in many forms. So, I´ll tell you why that painting, all self-compliments aside, is art, and a thousand fruit bowls drawn here could not match it. It´s simple, really. Art does not come from nowhere. It comes from here."

He placed an arm on his heart, and thumped it once for emphasis. "Right here, from the heart. The existence of that piece of art was determined on a whim, when I saw the sunset from the mountain you see in it. I just wanted it to be seen and cherished by all, and so I painted it. The reason behind it being art is simple. I just found something beautiful, and wanted to keep the image in it´s entirety. So, in the end, what is the determining factor behind art? The artist´s feelings and his will. If he manages to communicate those through his creation, then it is art. So, what we´ll do for the rest of the lesson is simple.

"Just think for yourselves what it is you feel. It doesn´t matter about what. You can think about how much you despise me, for all I care. Then, I want you to visualize the object, person or whatever you were thinking about. That image, draw it, while holding on to your feelings. And by that time, the lesson will probably be over before you finish. We´ll just continue on from there next time. If there are any questions, just raise your arm, and I´ll come over. Although I doubt I´ll be able to help you sort out your emotions, or that you trust me enough for that yet. But I´ll try anyways. Anyways, time´s a wastin´, so get going!" he declared after his lengthy explanation, during which surprisingly, many students took notes, except for those too absorbed in his talk.

Koneko herself was quite confused. Just where was he getting all this knowledge from? He certainly wasn´t thoughtful enough to think about art in this way, that´s for sure. Mister Samurai, maybe. Instinct? No fucking way. She could think of a single possibility, but it was stupid and highly unlikely. She´d wait till later to ask him about it. In the meantime, she thought about his words. What did she feel? Gratitude toward the President for giving her this life, hatred for the ´Goddesses of Kuoh´, though the President didn´t receive as much hate as Akeno, a huge amount of hatred for perverts, Issei specifically for stealing Asia´s heart as well, and…a weak yearning for something?

She blinked. Since when did she feel that? It´s the first time she took notice of it. She didn´t know what she yearned for exactly, and couldn´t figure out what it was for the life of her. After all, she was quite content with her life. She had a nice surrogate family in the form of the President, and even though there were a few (one) black sheep (pervert) in it, she cherished them all (excluding Issei) as her friends. She didn´t exactly want more friends, she´d come to terms with the hate her popularity with the boys earned her. So, what was it she yearned for? She decided to try and focus on the feeling, to conjure up an image of the object of her desire in her mind.

The image was quite foggy, and it wasn´t easy to see what it was. It looked like a tall silhouette. For all she knew, it could be a scarecrow, or a doll. Focusing on it, nothing cleared up, so the identity of the object remained a mystery to her. She decided that she might as well draw it, and kept her eyes closed to preserve the image, and tried to recreate that exact picture on the paper in front of her. She checked every last detail, and yet, nothing stood out to her. So, just as she was starting to capture the last limbs of the silhouette, the bell rang, and her eyes shot open. She looked around her, and took notice of the fact that everyone was gathered around her table. She instinctively flipped around her sketch. After all, that sketch contained part of her innermost feelings, and she didn´t want to present these to anyone in this room.

Once they noticed that she had opened her eyes, they all backed away, though the stares did not subside. Then, Instinct emerged from the crowd, giving her a proud clap on the shoulder. "Well done. You already found a way to create art, _your_ art. Sorry for the stares, but you were an excellent example, and so I told your friends here to take note of how you do it." Friends, huh? She wouldn´t call them that, although the boys most certainly liked the idea. Bloody perverts.  
"I like to call that state ´the Zone´. I won´t tell you how it works, seeing as you already know and you all" he gestured at the rest of the class, "still need to figure it out. There won´t be any hints. You´ll need to solve this problem yourself."

"But once you do, your grade will be set. During my classes, you´ll mainly focus on getting into the Zone, and once you do, create art. Not only that, try it at home, kids! Perhaps that will help. Actually, we´ll do it like this: your homework for the entire rest of our time together is to create art. And it´s voluntary, as long as you somehow manage to pull it off here, like Toujou-san here. Speaking of, you have no homework for the rest of the year. Congrats! Class dismissed!"

And so, the students gathered their things and left the classroom, chatting about how utterly nuts these lessons would be. But one student remained in the class, even though she had accomplished the most, and didn´t need the help. No, she stayed because she needed a talk with this teacher. About her real teacher. She walked up to him once she was sure that everyone had left and the steps in the hallway had faded away. Before she could even open her mouth, he sighed and began explaining.

"Look. I know this is a little awkward, but hear me out." She scoffed. ´A little awkward´ did not exactly describe it very well. "Just be quiet for a sec, alright? This isn´t ideal for both of us, but just trust me on this, I will not interfere in your life beyond this. I´m only doing this for a single reason: if I manage to get you through this whole year, then my other half owes me a favour, any favour. Basically, I will not kill the kid, as my other half specifically told me not to." He explained, earning a confused look from the devil.

"What´s with the weird look? I have waited a few eternities after all, this is but a droplet of water in the ocean. Besides, if I take a liking to the kid, I might only lob his gauntlet off. No biggie." He continued, making her confusion dissipate and be replaced by her cautious hatred for the man, her gaze hardening into a glare. "Except that would still kill him. Removing a Sacred Gear kills the user." She interjected, making Instinct scratch his head.

"Well, shit. Sucks to be him I guess. Anyhow, you don´t have to worry about that, at least not for a year. But back to the main topic. The reason as to why my other half – no, he has a name now – Tatsuo isn´t the one giving the lesson is simple. It´s really damn hard to give a lesson about something like art when you´re mute, right?" She nodded. That was true, actually.

"Well, since I can actually do so, he asked me to give it instead. Naturally, since I am about as sensible with art as I am with my enemies in battle, I refused at first. Then he told me that he´d just whisper through our little telepathic channel what I would have to say. Once he figured out that I wanted something out of it as well, he offered the favour, and thus, the Great Teacher Instinct was born. Anyhow, if you want to have a talk with him, do it after school. We have a sports lesson coming up and he will give that one himself." He finished, shooing her away. And although she did comply with his orders, she still didn´t have to like him, and so she cheekily stuck out her tongue at him before striding out of the room. She realized she forgot to ask him about the wink, but she´d do that later. With the others. Because there was no way in hell that she wouldn´t report this to the President.

" _She´s quite feisty, isn´t she? I like it. Though you probably deserve it after winking at her like that. I was wondering why you wanted control so suddenly, but only doing it to tease her and being able to blame it on me? Anyways, I´ll let you have control again. You need the stress relief after all those shocks, and I do believe you wanted to torture those students yourself, am I right?"_ Instinct got no response, and so, control was passed over to Rider, sorry, Tatsuo, who blinked once he got back. He made sure that everyone had left before picking up his bag and exiting the classroom.

He locked the door, and checked his watch. He had about five more minutes before he had to pick up his students at the gym. He jogged through the halls, checking his timetable. The class he was about to tortur – er, teach, was the class 3-B. He didn´t know why, but he felt a sense of dread that made him enthusiastic about teaching the class when he read the name of the class. Weird.

Tatsuo switched into his favorite jacket and a pair of shorts in record time , exiting the teacher`s changing room just as the bell rang again, surveying his new class. As he did so, he heard giggling. And it sounded eerily familiar. He felt arms wrap around him and two big somethings pressing onto his back.

" _Hello, Mister Samurai."_

Ah, shit.

 **It begins. The career of Great Teacher Instinct/Tatsuo/Rider will cause some crazy stuff to happen, that´s for sure. Anyways, leave a review please, and I do hope to see you next time. Bye!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Alright, so, first things first, you might notice that this bar right over there =  
is a bit smaller than usual. The reason is simple: there is many a reason to party today. First: OVER 10K VIEWS! HOLY SHIT!**

 ***sniff* I would like to thank my mom, my dad, that one doctor who put my liver back in after I was mauled by my imaginary ex girlfriend, and many more people!**

 **Especially you, the reader, for putting up with the crap I write! I hope that I can continue to entertain!**

 **Ahem, now then, second reason to party: 69** **th** **review. Answer time!**

 **ultima-owner: Congratulations! You´re the 69** **th** **review on this fic!**

 **Ok, joke over, back to serious Crab. I can´t exactly argue with your statement, so I´ll just say that we think alike. And yes, Instinct was kind of the self insert there, as those were literally my views on art, so…yeah.**

 **Goldenclaw: Thank you for the compliment, I appreciate the fact that you enjoy these calm moments as much as the more action packed ones. Though I do believe that your enjoyment mostly stems from the gangs´ suffering. I am quite sadistic at times.**

 **Well then, I´ve kept you long enough, so let´s hop right in! Oh yeah, still haven´t told you why that bar is larger. I DOUBLED THE USUAL MINIMUM WORD COUNT I SET MYSELF FOR EVERY CHAPTER. Instead of 3000-4000 words, we´re at 6000-8000 words/chapter. So enjoy the super chapter! Because until we reach 20k, that´s the last time you´ll see it. Heheheheheheheheh!**

Rider instinctively curled the folder with the attendance list up and smacked the girl right on the head, which was positioned right next to his ear, being far too close for comfort. Naturally, this caused her to yelp in surprise and stagger back, almost falling over were it not for Rias standing right behind her, who caught her mid fall and pushed her back onto her feet. The rescue was ignored however, and Akeno set her sights back onto the teacher instantly, still wanting to tease the ever loving shit out of him.

"Aww, why did you slap me like that? It hurt, you know! And after all we have done together so far! I thought you said that you-" she exclaimed dramatically, only to be cut off by another smack on the head. Rider sighed. This was already getting out of hand, and not even a minute of the lesson had passed. Seriously, the other students were already whispering among themselves. If this kept going, he´d lose his job after a single day of work. And although Rias seemed to be enjoying the show, he wasn´t going to have any of it.

So, with a shit-eating grin, he held up a familiar object to the two devils, and Akeno paled when she saw it. He held up a hand, presenting five fingers, and then pointed at the trackfield. He felt weird, seeing it after what happened in it´s recreation, but he didn´t care too much about it. And so, he set the clock for two and a half minutes, and hit the Start button. Akeno, still in shock in seeing her most feared instrument of torture once again, only stared dumbly for a second. Then she saw him tapping his wristwatch and holding up the five fingers again, and she took off immediately, with speed unseen before by her classmates, excluding Rias, who could barely contain her laughter.

Tatsuo clapped his hands, getting the attention of the teens, and motioned for them to stretch. Not wanting to end like the ´Goddess´, the students complied quickly. Rias, however, did nothing, as she didn´t like stretching with anyone other than Akeno, which she signalled to him with a short nod toward the unfortunate Queen. He accepted her wish, and went to sit down on the side of the field. Naturally, with his eyes watching Akeno and the clock like a hawk. After she finally finished her five rounds, she collapsed onto her knees, panting heavily before she felt something roll into her leg.

She picked it up, and found it to be a full water bottle. She looked up, and saw the teacher smiling at her. She smiled right back, and stood up to thank him, perhaps even _reward_ himhim him. Once he saw her expression, he held his hand over the reset button on the clock, which immediately squished her desire to tease. For now, anyways. And so, as she stumbled past him, she silently whispered her thanks, and went to stretch with her friend. Sighing, Rider retracted his hand, and checked his wristwatch. They´ve stretched for about two minutes now. He´d give them twice the time, seeing as two of his students still needed to do so as well.

The two minutes passed quickly, and he stood up, signalling them to come over. They followed his order and gathered around him. As they did, he swept his a gaze over the class and took attendance. No students missing. Good. He closed the folder and threw it to the side. He held up five fingers and gestured at them, then toward the lanes in the trackfield. When asked how far they had to go, he pointed toward the hundred meter line.

A minute later, the class had decided who would go first, and the runners took position. Rider held up his gun, or rather, the school´s gun, and after a few seconds, fired. The students took off, Rider watching each of them closely. He took note of every last detail, of how fast they were willing/able to go, to how much stamina they had left after the run. Obviously, he timed them as well. He did his observations for every single student, taking notes on how to improve their physical prowess, like endurance training for the less durable.

After the runs were over, he stood up and stuck a pair of signs in the ground, each labelled with a specific trait that needed improvement. There was the ´speed camp´ and the ´stamina camp´. He then went through his notes, assigning each student to one of the camps, and when he found that one of the teens needed to improve both to succeed, he sent them to the camp that was more urgent. In the end, he had two groups that were roughly the same size, and he gave the students who were, in his opinion, the most talented of their respective camp a folder full with exercises. He made clear to them that he would watch them closely, and that their participation would be graded. Naturally, he would make them do the same run again in a few weeks, and that would be their end grade for this part of the schedule.

As he took a seat on a bench on the side, he could hear hushed voices talking, and felt the stares on him. The stares subsided once he met them with his own, harsh glare, and the voices immediately fell silent. He surveyed them as they figured out what to do and then followed the instructions. Most of them did not succeed at first. They tried them again and again, only to be met with pain and failure. Over time, their frustrations grew, until one of them went up to him and threw the paper with the exercise right in front of him.

"Sensei, with all due respect, this is absolutely impossible! We are doing these exercises again and again, but they are way above our level! Just what do you expect from us!?" he yelled, drawing everyone´s attention. As they stared in shock, but gratitude, the teacher slowly stood up, and picked up the paper. He brushed off the dirt from it, and checked which one it was. Alright, so it was the one where they had to run six rounds on the 800-meter track in under ten minutes. It was the by far most time-consuming, and thus possibly the most infuriating one. He checked the time. Over half an hour had passed. The lesson would be over soon. He surveyed the class. They all were exhausted and he could tell that he might have overdone it a small bit. Alright, he overdid it by a huge margin.

So, he nodded at the boy, and ripped the paper apart, confusing him. He clapped his hands, and opened his bag, in which he had his failsafe plan hidden away. He took out two big rubber balls and handed one to the boy in front of him before tossing it into the mix. It hit the floor, and at first, the students were as confused as the boy. Then, after a few bounces, someone picked it up. She tossed it into the air a few times to get a feel for it, and right after she did, she threw it right into a classmate´s stomach, making them gasp and fall to the floor. Sadistic as she was, she giggled joyfully before yelling a single word that tore any restraints in the teens´ head apart.

"DODGEBALL!"

Right after those words were spoken, everything evolved into chaos. Ball were sailing through the air, accompanied with screams of pain or despair, usually both, and many a student was banished from the field. Until only the two most competitive and sportive students remained. Tatsuo watched them with mild interest as he stuffed his exercises back into his bag. He´d work on them later.

" _Holy shit, I take a nap for a few minutes and what do I find? Utter chaos and half dead students everywhere. I FREAKING LOVE IT! I´ll be the sports teacher next time! This looks so. DAMN. FUN!"_ a very familiar voice screamed with delight, though no one but him could hear it, and he was quite grateful for it. He continued watching the two as the balls flew like missiles, and got shivers once he felt someone´s breath on his ear again. Faster than ever before, the folder struck Akeno´s head, and she yelped again, before sitting down next to him, pouting.

"Buzzkill."  
 _"Buzzkill."_

Two voices said in tandem, causing Rider to snort in response. He tapped his watch and gestured at the school, making her understand that this was not the time and place. The place, specifically, was his apartment, or the house they trained at, or BASICALLY ANY PLACE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. As for the appropriate time? When he turns into a masochist after all these tortures in prison that just seem to magnetically suck him right in. Sighing, she nodded, accepting his wishes, and leaned back. Eventually, Rias joined them, and the both of them had a small chat, giggling a bit when they realized that the two boys on the field were essentially fighting for their favour, as if this were a tournament in the middle ages. An absolute classic example of athletic boys, at least in this school. Only thinking about Lil´ Johnny, all alone in those pants. Such empathetic individuals.

However, the other voice was still miffed. _"Can´t you just let it happen? If she wants to show off her body, just let her do it. After all, even if it´s a guilty one, we both know that we both take pleasure in her advances. Don´t even try to deny it."_ Rider sighed. Instinct was correct. Unfortunately. He did enjoy the sensations that the devil allowed him to partake in, however, they weren´t in a relationship, which is where these kinds of interactions belonged.

" _You do realize that this moral conflict could be solved in less than a second if you asked her out, right? I have no doubt that she would be happy to be in such a relationship with you."_ Instinct was overlooking a simple, yet important fact, although Rider wasn´t sure if it was intentional or not. A teacher and their student are not allowed to date. It´s as simple as that. If he were to enter a relationship with the girl, he´d be fired. And he wouldn´t do that. Not as long as they actually felt anything for one another. If he did so, he´d only do it to enjoy her body. And that was unacceptable. After he explained it to his other half, he heard him sigh.

" _Fine. You win this one. But trust me, one day you´ll eat those words. Because loving someone for their body can always transform into the feelings you described. And seeing as it´s her personality that made you love her body, it won´t take long for that. I´ll be quiet for a while. See ya later."_ Following that statement was only silence, and Rider looked up to see one of the boys get hit in the face with the rubber ball. He whistled, signalling the end of the game, and the remaining boy cheered before winking in the direction of Rias and Akeno, who just giggled. The teacher himself could not suppress a chuckle. It was so dumb and cheesy.

Anyways, Rider decided to cut off the lesson here, seeing as they still needed time to change back into their regular attire, and so he sent them off. The students dispersed whilst chattering amongst themselves, being unsure about the new teacher. Two of them, however, stayed behind to have a small talk with him.

"After school, meet us in the old school building."

That was the only words that were spoken, and he nodded upon hearing them. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, except for a single instance. Right after this lesson, he had another class in PE, and he let them off with the same program, although he skipped the exercises and got straight to dodgeball. He received a few weird looks, one of them even being a downright glare, but he paid it no heed. He needed to rethink his exercises, and there was no doubt that this was more enjoyable than the torture that was his plans for them.

After he let them go, he still felt the glare on him, so he turned around, and indeed, it was the same girl that was glaring at him earlier. He raised an eyebrow, but all she did was scoff at him before uttering a single word.

"Pathetic."

Then, she left. Rider was slightly confused, but shrugged it off. She must be dissatisfied with the lesson, but there was honestly no alternative. He would have to use dodgeball to waste time until he could figure out a suitable training plan for the kids. And so, he left with a sigh. His first day at work ended with that lesson, and he checked his watch. It was barely 2 o clock. He decided that he might as well have lunch, seeing as Rias and her servants still were stuck in school for a good two and a half hours.

Thankfully, it was only a twenty minute trip to his apartment if he took the train, so obviously, he returned home. Kaiya was nowhere to be seen, as was Levia-tan once he entered his apartment, much to Instinct´s dismay. Rider wasn´t sure why, but he felt like Instinct was not so much trying to flirt with the devil, as he was turning into an actual fanboy. Or maybe he was just so overjoyed that the magical girl trope could exist and flourish as a person in this world, that he became disconnected from reality each time he saw her. Honestly, it was worship at this point.

" _Why Levia-tan?! Why must you leave me alone in this bleak world?!"_

Yep, fanboy confirmed. Anyways, after he had lunch, he found that he still had time to kill before he had to leave, so he went into his room and picked up a book from his ´intellectual shelf´, as he had eloquently dubbed it. He silently thanked his benefactors about gifting him with so many books, and stuff in general. After all, reading a book about teaching PE can only be good if you are a PE teacher yourself, right?

As he read the book, he decided to take notes on what the author talked about. It was mainly about how to treat your students well, a part which he already followed without having read it, but he didn´t skip it. Having basic human decency stuck in your head isn´t exactly bad, after all. As he finished the first chapter and reached the content he was looking for, he noticed that he should hurry it up if he wanted to be on time. He quickly threw his jacket on and took off, just barely reaching the train on time.

He arrived at the school, thanking the Majestic Crab Gods for his excessive stamina, and tried to recall the map he´d been shown before the Rating Game. If he remembered correctly, the house he was looking for lied in the woods next to the trackfield, on the other side of the school. Nodding to himself, he made his way over there, wading through the mass of teens exiting the premises. Perhaps it would´ve been better had he been late. After he finally pulled through, he took a small break to take a breather.

When he did, he noticed the same girl that´d called him pathetic earlier that day walking into the gym, that same hard look in her eyes. He couldn´t recall her name, but he did wonder what was up with her. However, he did not have the time to stay and think about it, so he moved on. _"Maybe she´s on her period."_ Alright, _definitely_ time to move on.

It took him a few minutes, but in the end, Rider found the house. He checked the time, and sighed. It was too early for the view. Still, he turned around to make sure, and found that the picture was still quite pleasing. To be honest, it was mainly the fact that there seemed to be half a million animals in this single forest, chirping, barking, or whatever it was they did to make noise. Well, he shouldn´t loiter too much. He went to knock on the door, but was stopped.

" _My dear, dear other half, before you knock, there are two things I want you to do. Take a deeeep breath. Then, turn around again."_ Rider complied, and turned around to look into the forest. He didn´t exactly know why Instinct would want him to. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. _"Ah good, you noticed. Nothing is wrong here, right? Well, you just came that way. Think about it."_ Rider thought about his words. Whatever could he mean? He came that way? As he wondered about those words, his gaze slowly drifted toward the ground, and he saw it. Grass, plants, _life_ still existed there. And he understood. He fell to his knees, he could barely contain the tears. He grabbed a patch of grass and ripped it from the soil before taking a deep sniff of it. It smelled dirty, of dog piss, and bird shit. It was wonderful.

" _Alright, stand up, we shouldn´t dawdle."_ And Rider did stand up, letting the grass float to the ground. He wiped away his tears before dusting himself off. He went to knock again, but Instinct interrupted him again. _"Better take another deep breath."_ Tatsuo didn´t know why, but here he was, taking a big, satisfying breath of fresh air. _"This feels much better than the one before, right? Anyways, I´ll go ahead and shut up again."_ And so, Instinct fell silent again. And Rider finally got to knock on the door.

But no one came. So he knocked again. No answer. He scratched his head, and attempted to open it himself. The door was not locked, and he entered the house. He knocked again, but still no one came down to greet him. So he slowly ascended the stairs. He tried to listen for any signs of life, but it was dead silent. He checked his watch again to make sure he wasn´t to early or something. Nope, it was 16:45. School had been over for at least fifteen minutes. He arrived on the top floor. Still not a single sound. He made his way over to the door with the red wing, and knocked on it as well.

He waited. No one answered. And yet, he felt something in the air. Tension. Nervousness. Hesitantly, he opened the door.

"WELCOME BACK, MISTER SAMURAI!"

…Wait, what? His eyes widened by quite a margin once he could see the room in it´s entirety. The devils were all here, smiling at him, and the room was decorated in quite a festive fashion. There were balloons everywhere, the air was full of confetti, and a sign hung right above Rias´ desk. It read ´Welcome back, Mister Samurai!´. But what caught his attention the most was the giant, white, creamy cake that sat on the desk. It was adorned with red jam, which was used to draw broken handcuffs on it.

For a minute, everything went silent again, and the devils were unsure about his reaction, as his bangs covered his eyes. Then, a single drop fell to the floor. Nothing was said as he looked up and they saw the tears flow. Nothing needed to be said. His smile told them everything. And so, the party began. Naturally, even before he was properly congratulated for his release, the cake was sliced and devoured, which gave everyone something to laugh about. Some things just wouldn´t, and shouldn´t, change.

"Well, I propose a toast. A toast to the release and birth of our friend Samurai Tatsuo!" And following Rias´ declaration, everyone held up a glass of grape juice, and they toasted with a cheer. "You know, it´s kind of nice to finally have a name to call you by. Can I call you Tatsuo?" Issei asked, getting an affirmative nod from Tatsuo. "Alright then, Tatsuo it is! Although I think you aren´t all too pleased with your last name, huh?" He only got a low growl as a response, making him laugh out loud, and Asia started to look depressed.

"I´m sorry! It´s all my fau-" Before she could even blame herself, a hand patted her head, instantly banishing those thoughts. She shook herself, and smiled. "Alright. I´m not sorry!" And she received another pat on the head as reward, causing her to giggle. Issei then wormed his way back into the center of attention.

"Well, Sensei, we have another gift for you. And we all know you´ll love it! Right, Prez?" Rias giggled, and slapped him on the head. "Way to ruin the surprise, idiot! Anyway, he wasn´t lying. You see, the Gremorys are quite rich, as you know, and we thought that you might enjoy seeing the ocean at our private beach. So we booked the tickets for this weekend. And naturally, all of us are going. So you better bring your best swimsuit, because we´ll do so as well. Think of the view as your payment for the training."

Ok, there was a lot to process in those words. First, he would go to the beach. That was great. The only time he ever swam in water was in his fight with the Scale, and that water was corrupted, polluted and just plain repulsive. But a beach on a planet as pure as this? That would be great! Second, it was a private beach. So there were no worries about having to deal with any locals. He wasn´t sure he could handle massive crowds just yet. In a fight? Sure. In a classroom? Sure. But hundreds of complete strangers walking around half naked? No sir.

Then, the final point. All of his students – no, friends in swimsuits? He wasn´t sure he could handle it just yet. Well, at least no one could defile Asia there. It was a private beach after all. But he wondered what may happen if Instinct sees Akeno or Rias in a swimsuit. _"Oh, I can tell you what. If this were a story, the things I´d do would make it one of the XXX kind."_ Well, shit.

"Anyways, there is one thing I should tell you. Our researchers have already salvaged your gear from the cathedral. So you should no longer worry about it. They´ll figure out a way to repair it. As for how we knew it was there and it needed repairing…call it women´s intuition." Rias said, causing Rider to blink. Well, that´s another load off of his shoulders. The tears nearly came back, but he forced them back. He had his pride, after all.

They partied for quite a while, until it got dark. They stopped once Kiba announced that they should probably not go to bed too late considering the next day was still a school day. He left together with Issei and Asia, who both gave Tatsuo one last hug before leaving, whereas Kiba shared a firm handshake with his teacher. When the man decided that he too had to get going, mainly to adjust his plans for PE, he felt the same two mounds press on his back as earlier that day. He grabbed a magazine from the couch to get the Queen off, but was stopped by Instinct.

" _Just let her have her fun for once."_

Sighing, he dropped the magazine, much to Akeno´s surprise. "Well, this is unexpected. Usually you would just hit me with that. Have you finally stopped resisting the inevitable? Why, that´s great!" And with that, she started breathing onto his ear, which gave him slight shivers, although he still only showed an expression of annoyance. Akeno took note of this, and grinned a bit too joyfully. "Well, it seems that I was wrong. You are still resisting, but not actively. You are only doing this to spite me, aren´t you? You are trying to show me just how futile it is to try to get you to submit. _Well, sorry, but I know that myself already._ "

And with that whisper, she stepped away and turned around to see a glaring Koneko huff and turn away. Her slacked jaw was quickly replaced with a sadistic grin. So that´s how it was, was it? Her precious little Kohai had a crush on their teacher. Oh, it was something out of a cheesy love movie, and Akeno loved those. Well, she knew how socially inept said Kohai was, so she decided to put a little pressure on her. She turned around again and leaned against Rider again, whispering loudly into his ear, to ensure the Rook heard every last bit of it.

"Anyways, I guess I should reward you in some way for not losing face for so long. How about I come over to your place tonight?" She knew when he seized up that she´d probably be denied, but the prospect of a rival was enough to put pressure on anyone. And bingo, Koneko halted all movement once she heard those words.

While Akeno was focused on Koneko, a million thought processes ran through Rider´s mind. First, there was the obvious danger of teasing, but he had grown accustomed to it, so there should be no problem on that front. But on the other hand, she might go too far with teasing and do something she´d regret later. Also, there was the slight problem of Instinct doing something Rider would regret later.

" _I swear I won´t do anything she would not want. Meaning I can flirt as much as I want."_ Alright, so she definitely shouldn´t come. _"Buzzkill. And here I was hoping for a proper dinner tonight."_ Alright, so she´s coming, whether or not she liked it. Rider ducked, grabbed her thighs, lifted her onto his back, which caused her to cry out in surprise, waved once to the others, and took off. The two remaining devils just stared.

Rias then watched as her Rook clutched her chest as if she were in pain, and understood what Akeno tried to do. But it seems as if she overdid it just a bit. So she sat down on the couch and told her servant to take a seat opposite her, which she did, still clutching the area above her heart. She looked mostly confused about it. Just why was her heart aching so much? Rias cleared her throat, which ripped Koneko out of her trance.

"Koneko, how are you feeling lately? You were depressed a few weeks ago, and I haven´t had the time to check on you. But just a minute ago during the party, it seemed as if you were happy once again. I´m not sure if you have truly recovered though, so please tell me if you feel bad in any way. It´s my duty as your master and friend to make sure you enjoy life." Koneko looked at her master, the confusion intensifying. She had been depressed? She didn´t even notice. She had been preoccupied with thoughts about her teacher, who was still in the dungeon at the time. But she did laugh more at this little celebration than she had in total over the last few years, hadn´t she? She wondered why.

The pain in her chest got worse. She shook her head as her hand cramped up even more over her heart. She looked at her master, and started telling her everything about her emotions as of late. How during art, she´d discovered this yearning. How that yearning waned a bit once the party started. How it turned into horrible aching once her friend took off with Akeno. During this, Rias noted that Koneko really had no clue as to what these feelings truly are, and even called Tatsuo her friend without realizing it. But she wouldn´t tell her about it, or why she felt what she did. This was something her Rook had to figure out on her own. She couldn´t be sheltered by her master forever.

"Well, that´s okay, Koneko. Trust me when I say those feelings do not stem from anything bad. They´re a beautiful part of life. Just take your time in sorting them out, and eventually, you will know where they come from, and what you have to do. I thank you for trusting me with this. I see that my worries were unwarranted. Alright, you may leave now. We´ll deal with this mess tomorrow." She said, making Koneko´s expression change from confusion, to guilt from worrying her master, to glee.  
"You mean Issei-senpai will clean it, right?"

"Yep." They giggled before leaving the clubhouse.

Meanwhile, Rider and Akeno were seated in a train headed to his apartment, with him impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, barely being able to await the homecooked dishes he hadn´t been able to eat for weeks now. Seriously, the only things he´d eaten so far were takeout or poison. And while Instinct begged to differ on Levia-tan´s cooking ability, mainly because the fanboy hadn´t been awake when Rider made the ´experience´ of eating the inedible dishes the Great Satan cooked.

The Queen watched his face smiling, as his expression was adorable once you knew the reason why he looked so annoyed. Though everyone else on the train moved away very quickly once they saw the grimace he was pulling. Even so, very few people actually were on the train, but she was still grateful for him inadvertedly scaring off the other passengers. Because every time she was on a train, whether she was with Rias or anyone else, there was always that one group of men that came up to her and thought they could make her bend over right then and there. Silly kids, that´s what they were. She always politely told them to fuck off, but it didn´t stop them for long. They came back every time she was on the train, as if they only took this train because of her. Honestly, she wouldn´t put it past them. They got more forward every time, and hell, last time she had to slap away their hands before they touched her quite a few times.

But that´s not what she thought about right now. Behind her smile she hid her worries and guilt about what she had possibly caused. She had gotten a glimpse of the horrified expression Koneko had on her face just before Tatsuo had sped off. It was but a glimpse, but the sheer pain and confusion she had seen was nearly enough to make her shake with guilt. Why didn´t she just leave her to her own devices? She would´ve probably figured it out one day without Akeno´s interference, so why did she do it?

Her smile slowly faded, and her gaze fell to the floor. She would apologize the next time she saw the Rook. But on the other hand, wouldn´t it destroy the purpose of what she´d done? Wouldn´t the pain make Koneko realize her feelings quicker and make her happy faster? Akeno did not know. Her thoughts were halted when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up, and saw that they had apparently arrived at the station, seeing as Tatsuo was all but pulling her out of the train. Good thing, too. The doors shut the second she exited, and she spied the guys that were always pestering her in the same wagon. They all had furious expressions. She had no doubt in her mind that they would´ve crossed the line completely today had she not been with Tatsuo.

She thanked him for not leaving her on the train and then they walked together through the streets, until they arrived at the man´s home. Thankfully, Kaiya was nowhere to be seen. Who knows what she´d think if she saw him with a high school girl at his first day of work. So, after Rider silently thanked the M.C.G.s, they walked up the stairs. Akeno made a short comment about how run down the place was, but she fell silent immediately after, seeing as she received no response.

And then, they stood in front of the door. He got out his keys, but before he opened the door, he felt like there was danger inbound, so he pushed the devil a few steps away from the door before stepping back himself. Good thing he did, because in the next moment, the door flew open, and the person he had dreaded to see stood in the doorway.

"Say, Tatsuo-kun, didn´t we agree that that girl is not to receive any amount of sugar?" He nodded, a sense of dread suddenly settling in his mind. "Well, somehow she got her hands on several chocolate bars, a whole pack of Coke bottles, and to top it all off, she´s eating _marshmallows_ right now! Do you know just how loud she was?! It took me a whole hour to get her to stay still, for god´s sake! And even then, she was shaking like a leaf the whole time I tried to calm her down! I thank whatever god is out there that she´s asleep now, but you _will_ pay me back for this. I don´t care how. Just find a way. Because this has been a horr-" before she could finish her rant, she noticed Akeno standing behind him, and glanced back and forth between them. She beckoned him to come a bit closer, and pulled him down by his ear.

" _You do realize that I was joking the other day, right? You were not supposed to actually bring back any girls from school. It´s illegal, you know."_ The old lady whispered into his ear, making him blink. After he processed it, he realized that it was a misunderstanding, and pushed Akeno forward, gesturing for her to explain. But the devil, seeing her chance, smiled.

"Good evening, madam. My name is Himejima Akeno. I´m here tonight because my grades are bad, and he demanded that I-" she didn´t finish, receiving a slap to the back of her head. She glanced at his expression. Still only annoyance. Dammit. Kaiya noticed this, and had a good round of laughter, confusing the two. After calming down, she looked at Akeno. "You really need to step up your game, _kid._ You´ll need a few more decades before you can even begin to do something like this to a man of his calibre." The devil glared at her, although she was still smiling. "Oh? Are you insinuating that I´m not capable enough? I´ll have you know, the boys around this quarter are all at my beck and call. They all grovel before me, the Goddess of Kuoh!" She declared, inexplicably making her hair flutter.

The elder woman scoffed, and seemed taller than usual. "Child, please. I my day, the entire city was licking my boots. And today, still a fair amount of men would be _pleased_ to get a right to hear my voice." Lightning crackled, but not any of the magic sort. It was between the eyes of the two titans standing in this hallway. Tatsuo just stared for a minute before entering his apartment. The two stood there for another ten minutes, engaged in their battle of wits, before he had enough and forcefully dragged the devil inside, earning a teasing wink from his landlord. He barely managed to hide his embarrassment, and thankfully, Akeno didn´t notice. She looked at the time, and saw that she wouldn't make it home until midnight, so she inquired about possibly staying overnight. She didn´t say it out loud, but she also didn´t want to risk running into those men on the train.

Tatsuo didn´t care. All he cared about was the delicious food she cooked, and she watched in delight as he devoured her curry. He eventually figured that having his guest sleep on the couch wouldn´t be all to nice, so he snuck into his roommate´s room, and slowly carried her bridal style into the living room before dumping her on the couch. Good thing that Levia-tan was an abnormally deep sleeper. And while Instinct threw a tantrum, he showed Akeno into the ´guest room´. After that, they said good night and she took off her clothes before going to bed. Meanwhile, the teacher went into his room, and opened the book about PE. He still had some work to do. It was only 22:45. He´d do this in no time. He said, before falling asleep at around midnight, only half way done with his new and improved plan.

 **[Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away]**

A man with a violet rabbit mask was staring into the sky, patting his daughter´s head. A frown was on his face as he saw something move in front of the sun. It was but a speck, but he knew what it was. He´d seen it before. He sighed, and told his daughter to stay at home as he left his house. He got out a small crystal from his pocket, and it lit up in a bright blue colour. He opened his mouth.

"Guys, I think it´s time that we go home. To Earth."

 **Well, well, well. The plot thickens once again. And the romancing of our favorite alien/whatever the fuck he is begins! I´ll just leave it at that. See you next time! Bye!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Greetings, my friends! Welcome to chapter 29 of this mess of a story! Now, I know what you´re thinking.**

" **JUST GET ON WITH IT!"**

 **And to that, I say:**

 **No. Reviews, man. Gotta answer ´em.**

 **ultima-owner: Ayup. Have to change the canon somehow, now don´t I? Makes this shit a lot more interesting, if I do say so myself. Also, you made me crave cake, so I made one, and ate it. You can have half of the leftovers.**

 **Madness Beyond: That they are. Now let´s see just who the ´others´ are. But I won´t tell you. Not here, and not further down. Not for at least a few dozen chapters. So don´t expect them to mess shit up too soon. But it will get messed up, I´ll tell you that much.**

 **Anon: Yep, you guessed it quite a while ago. Good for you. Here, have a celebratory cake. I baked it a few days ago, and these are the leftovers. Have half of them, cos I think ultima-owner will want the other half…  
Anyways, Akeno had bad foresight in that incident, that´s true, but it´s not all. Because that little controversy will last a while, and trust me, it will get worse…**

 **Goldenclaw: WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You partied so hard that my computer crashed, and I had to rewrite this whole chapter twice! Are you insane!? Well, I´ll forgive you for the ego boost right after. Scratch that, the TWO ego boosts right after. For that, have half of these leftovers. They are from this cake I baked, and for the double boostage, I think you should receive at least half. But yeah, the torture will not end with the last chapter. TORTURE4EVA, baby!**

 **DISCLAIMER: The author does not condone torture of any kind. Unless it´s with anime characters. Or a hentai. Or it´s just really funny.**

 **Now, before we "JUST GET ON WITH IT!", one last thing. Enjoy the chapter!**

 _They stood over her corpse, tears streaming down their faces. Her expression was one of pure agony, but they knew that she died painlessly. Mainly because her head was the only part of her that was left. Those bastards had obliterated her body in a single clash. He kneeled down and pulled her eyelids shut. She should at least be able to rest in peace. He started digging, his companion watching him._

" _Let me help too."_

 _After a while, the grave had been dug and they carefully placed her remains inside of it. They threw the earth on top of her, and he drew his sword once the ground was flat again. With precise cuts, he sliced the inscription into the bark of the tree overshadowing the grave. After he was done, he took one last look at it before he turned around._

" _Let´s go, little bro. Let´s teach those homewreckers a lesson."_

Tatsuo woke up sweating, his heart beating at insane speeds. His breath was irregular, and he had to actively force himself to take slow, deep breaths to calm himself down, although he felt like he would choke to death in the process. It took a while, but he did eventually manage to relax. He was unsure about what exactly caused him to be so riled up. The dream did not make him remember anything, but he did feel unfathomable amounts of anger and despair, even after he woke up. He shivered as he remembered it. It lasted but a few seconds after he awoke, but the sensation still scared him.

After all, how could he feel such intense emotions about something that might be made up by Instinct? There was only two cases in which that could ever happen. First, it could be real, and he had actually managed to forget it. But what could ever make him forget something that felt as important as this? The second case was equally terrifying. Instinct could control him, he could show him anything he wanted to and make Rider feel just like he wanted him to.

Thankfully, or horrifyingly, Instinct gave no answer, and remained quiet. Possibly because he knew that anything he said would only worsen the situation. Rider took note of the sunlight streaming in through his window, and quickly checked his alarm clock. He had another two hours before he usually had breakfast. Good. Because upon looking over his work, he realized he still had to finish it. Sighing, he picked up his pen. This would be a long day. Although he did appreciate the distraction. He really didn´t want to think about anything related to his dreams and Instinct at the moment.

While he was working, about an hour later, Akeno woke up. Yawning, she sat up, looking around the room, slightly confused about her surroundings before remembering the previous night. She checked the time, and while she did not know exactly when her host had breakfast, she just had a feeling that she could prepare it for him, and take her time in doing so. So she stood up, and as she picked up her uniform, a thought occurred to her, and while it would be embarrassing to do it, she decided to play one final trick on him while she was here. Giggling, she left the room, and entered the kitchen, opening a few drawers before finding her only tool for this prank. She looked over to Levia-tan, as she liked to be called, and shook her head.

There was no chance she´d actually wake up in time for the prank. …right? Well, it was a risk she was willing to take. She would win against him this time, there was no doubt. After all, he would never expect something like this, now would he? Giggling manically, she went to prepare breakfast.

Tatsuo sighed as he finally got his work done. He had managed to create lessons that would train the students as needed, and be fun at the same time. Probably. Sighing, he stood up, and stretched, making several bones crack into place, especially in his neck. Not moving your head for a while does make it quite uncomfortable. He briefly considered getting a bigger chair, but banished the thought rather quickly. He would rather not indebt himself to the devils any further, and he had only worked a single day, and payday was still a month away. He yawned, pondering whether he should go back to bed, but then his sense of smell kicked in, blowing away any desire to sleep. Someone was baking pancakes. Checking the clock, he nodded to himself. It was time for breakfast.

In a moment´s notice, he was in the kitchen, seated at the table, his mouth watering from the smell. The table had already been set, and the meal had already been served, a cup of coffee by it´s side.

"Oh my. I was just about to wake you up, too. But I guess that´s unnecessary, what with your sixth sense. I do hope these pancakes are to your liking. I baked them with a very _special_ ingredient, I´ll have you know. The milk came straight from-" It was at this point that Akeno realized that she was mercilessly being tuned out and ignored. She sighed. It did sting a bit that she lost to pancakes, even in this getup, but to be honest, she kind of knew it would happen. It still stung a bit, though. But she didn´t give up just yet.

She moved behind him, and draped her arms around his neck, hugging him from behind, making sure her ´assets´ were pressing onto his back as much as possible. They were quite useful for hugs like these. They usually got whoever received them to be flustered as all hell (with one obvious exception) and were quite nice cushions. And yet, even with her leaning onto his back like this, she was still being ignored in favour of the pancakes. Sighing, she placed her chin on the top of his head.

His hair flowed around her face, making her giggle a bit. It felt quite funny, although it made her jealous of his literal weightless hair. It was as if a cloud was all around her, and to be honest, she didn´t mind this lofty experience. It was nice and distracted her from the fact that she was being completely ignored, which really stung in her heart. A lot. Enjoying the sensation of his hair, she closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Rider was still completely focused on his meal, savouring every single bite. Until he was interrupted by a rather annoyed voice in his head. _"Ahem. I do believe that I should inform you of something, even if I come off as a dick right now for interrupting your meal."_ Damn straight. No one just hinders him at eating. That is one of the seven deadly sins. The other six are yet to be decided, but that was irrelevant. _"Alright, so I would just like to inform you that the girl who cooked this for you has yet to be thanked, and has been trying to get your attention for a while now. So don´t be a rude prick and at least LOOK at her. Besides, I know that you´ll like what you see, deep down."_

Whatever was he talking about? Well, at least he was right about thanking Akeno for the meal. That was only common courtesy. So he finally ended his trance, and looked around for a split second before feeling the usual, tempting sensation of the Queen´s tits on his back, and something on his head. Although there was something different about the feeling on his back, but he couldn´t place it. A quick look up revealed the girl in question, seemingly in a trance herself.

He pondered what to do for a second. He thought about grabbing a magazine, but there were none on the table, so he settled for booping her nose, which made her yelp and back off a bit in surprise. He then turned around to give his thanks, but upon seeing the state of her attire, he froze. She was not wearing anything but a single apron, and even that had shifted due to her…globes´ volume.

He did not care how it happened. But he knew one thing. He had to cover it up. So the second after the initial shock wore off, he closed his eyes and rushed back into his room, fetched his jacket, and dashed back. He then flipped her around and covered her backside with the jacket before he sighed. The crisis seemed to have been averted. He would´ve picked up his magazine to somehow force the idea into her thick skull that she should not go as far as this, but paused when he saw her expression. He´d seen it once before, when they had their first proper conversation.

It was an expression of pain.

"So even when I go this far you don´t get flustered, huh…? Of course. Why did I even think you would? You are a whole different calibre than any other man on the planet, as the old hag said. Oh, don´t mind me. I´ll go change." She said sadly, before standing up and leaving, presumably to put on her uniform. He couldn´t think of anything to say. He was rather confused by her sudden change of attitude, which made Instinct sigh.

" _Holy hell, you might not be as dense as the pervert, but you are up there. Although, to be fair, she seems to be blissfully unaware of it as well. Just…don´t take too long in figuring it out, okay? I hate seeing girls cry, and if you´re the cause, I might have to get revenge for them. No matter if you´re my other half or not."_ He declared, though his cryptic words did nothing but confuse the poor guy even further. Finally, he gave up on the subject and went back to simpler things. Pancakes were just too good, even if what just happened left a bad taste in his mouth.

A while later, after he´d eaten, he decided to go back to his room and check on the schedule for the day. He made himself some coffee, and with a yawn, went back into the hallway. As he opened his door, he heard another open behind him, making him turn around and look the devil in the eye. She fidgeted a bit and bit her lip. "Hey, Tatsuo? Please forget what happened earlier. I wouldn´t want to make things awkward." He nodded in response. He didn´t want that either. Their previous relationship, while weird to an outsider, was quite comfortable for him. Seeing this, she sighed in relief before smiling.

"Great! In that case, I´ll make breakfast for Miss Leviathan. Just come and get me once you´re ready to go." And with that, she spun around and walked happily into the living room. _"Blissfully unaware."_ Rider really wanted Instinct to die right about now, or at least make him feel pain. But alas, there was no way for him to achieve that. However, where there was a will, there was a way. And he would find it. But not now. He had work to do, or at least, work to check over.

And while he did this, Akeno was struggling with getting the other inhabitant of the apartment to get up. In fact, she had to use several shocks to even get a single eyelid to budge, and that progress was immediately nullified when it closed again. But eventually, after many, _many_ shocks, Levia-tan actually woke up and stretched on the couch. She was still half asleep, but she managed to mumble a few coherent words, although the only meaningful one was ´breakfast´, making Akeno sigh. The inhabitants of this apartment were quite alike, weren´t they?

In the end, a single grain of sugar was dumped in the devil´s mouth, which washed away all fatigue, returning her to her energetic self. "Thank you Akeno-chan! You´re as helpful as ever! Who knows how long I would've slept without your help! Come on, let´s have breakfast!" She said before forcefully dragging the Queen into the kitchen, where the pancakes were already cooked and served. They took a seat, and without much ceremony, they began to eat. Although Akeno earned a few ´scoldings´, if the whining of the Great Satan could be called that, when she refused to hand over the syrup.

Mainly because no one ever wanted to have this girl getting a sugar rush. It was one of the most horrible things to do in Hell, and in general. After a while, Levia-tan calmed down, and ate the pancakes raw, albeit the pout on her face never vanished, save for when she actually realized an important detail. "Akeno-chan, when did you actually arrive?" she inquired, making Akeno sweatdrop. The Great Satan was known to be a rather crafty person, but anytime she was not actually acting as the ruler of Hell that she was, she was one of the slowest people in the whole world.

"I arrived yesterday evening, right after the landlord put you to bed, Leviathan-sama. I was dragged here by Tatsuo, probably because he no longer wanted to eat takeout." She explained, causing the other devil to sigh. "Oh, but I like the delivery boy of the pizzeria. He´s such a cutie. Oh, phooey. I guess we should learn to cook at some point. Ah! Or you could stick around, Akeno-chan! Then we wouldn´t have to worry about cooking, and-" but Levai-tan didn´t finish her sentence upon seeing the guilty expression on Akeno´s face, instead sending her a questioning look.

"Sorry, but I cannot take that offer. You see, by coming here, I have hurt a friend of mine quite badly. She has a crush on Tatsuo, although she doesn´t know it yet. And so I wanted to help her realize her feelings, but in the end, it backfired, and now I´m here." She said, the guilty expression never changing. The other girl seemed to be in deep thought for a second.

"Tell me Akeno-chan. Do you feel like that as well?"

Akeno was stumped. She wanted to immediately answer ´No´, but something in her conscious was refusing to let her say it.

"Or is it possible that your guilt is overshadowing those feelings?"

Still, she had nothing to say. In her mind, she knew the answer to those questions. But she had to suppress her own desires. For her friend´s sake. So she may find happiness. Akeno was already content, but Koneko still needed someone to crack her shell, and Tatsuo was the only one who would be able to. And so, she would not lay a finger on him, as much as it hurt.

´But why is her happiness more important than mine?´ retorted a side of her she wished didn´t exist. The more selfish one, the one that took anything it wanted for itself, regardless of anyone else. It was the half of herself she cast away when she became a devil, when Rias made her a servant. But now, when she experienced the strongest desire that existed in the universe, it resurfaced, ready to throw away all concern for her friends to get what it wants.

"I see that you are hesitating. In that case, I won´t pester you about it. Love is a fickle thing, and it can either be the most wonderful blessing or the deadliest curse. So tread carefully, Akeno-chan. I wouldn´t want any harm to come to you or your friend." Silence then fell upon the room as they finished their meal. After a while, Tatsuo entered and signalled that it was time to go. Akeno slowly stood up and went to get her bag, but was stopped one last time. The other girl whispered into her ear.

" _Just remember, I´m rooting for you. If you need any help, come talk to me, I´ll lend you an ear."_

It didn´t help her at all. Her guilt only started to weigh heavier upon hearing those words, and yet, the selfish voice in her head became even louder, insisting that Koneko be abandoned and Tatsuo be claimed as hers. But she held fast, and managed to keep her composure, nodding at the girl before leaving with a smile on her face, which was forced, but thankfully, no one seemed to be able to tell. No one present, anyway. And the only one who did remained silent in Tatsuo´s head.

The way to school/work was uneventful, and once they arrived at the train station, they split up, to avoid any weird looks they might´ve received. And while the voice in Akeno´s head told her to ignore them, as she could kill them if she so much as blinked, but she tuned it out. She really had no time for it right now, not with all the turmoil she had already caused.

Once she arrived, she immediately headed toward her classroom, leaving the unknowing teacher behind, who was getting ready for another round of PE, with the class he had yesterday. He briefly remembered the girl that had insulted him, but ultimately decided that her problems were not worth pursuing just yet. Perhaps she would come around on her own. He entered the teacher´s changing room, and after a few minutes, came out in his jacket and shorts.

He took a seat next to the trackfield, and got out one of the books of his ´intellectual´ shelf. It was a book about the Bushido code, something he found very interesting. Any way to improve himself, be it an improvement of body, mind or soul, was fascinating for him. And the way of the samurai, aka the Bushido, covered all of them. Also, he was interested in the code the warriors he was named after lived by. The fact that he actually started believing that it might actually be something he could try to live by made the name even more fitting. As Instinct once said, they would need to give Asia a cookie for it. Although they wouldn´t bake it themselves. Or let Levia-tan try to.

After a few minutes, his students started filing out of the changing rooms, and he stood up, dusting off his clothes. He waited till everyone seemed to be present, and quickly took attendance before gesturing for them to stretch as he got his notes for the training. He watched as they did their warmup, and spied some boys that wore rather lecherous expressions.

" _Wanna punish them? I would approve of it. The bloody cowards deserve it._ " His mouth curled up into a grin, and without anyone noticing, he deftly grabbed some pebbles that were lying on the ground. He held them in his fist, and when he was sure that no one was watching, he flicked them in quick succession, nailing each of the perverts right in the face. _"Oooooh, there it is! The triple headshot! I knew I could count on you!"_

After they cried out in pain, they looked around for the culprit, only to find that the teacher was reading his notes with utmost concentration, and everyone else just shot them questioning looks, which caused them to pipe down, embarrassed. Although a single pair of eyes was glued to the teacher, and it scrutinized him with a harsh glare. The girl it belonged to did grin after a few seconds, though, and she went back to the warmup. Looks like he had the potential. After a few more minutes, Tatsuo stood up, and signalled for them to gather around. Once they did, they took notice of his devilish grin. They gulped. This would not be like the last lesson, wouldn´t it?

 **That should do it. A nice cliffhanger to end it on, eh? Let´s see how this pans out for our favourite generic mass of students. In the next chapter! Bye! Oh, fyi, to anyone who read the review answering, yes, I can math.**


	30. Chapter 30

**It´s been 84 years. But now, I´ve returned, more powerful than ever before! The reason for this chapter taking a bit longer than usual is simple: there is a sport addressed in this chapter that I knew jackshit about. So I´ve been studying this sport(´s Wikipedia article/youtube videos) for about seven days now to ensure that I manage to represent it properly. Anyhow, to the reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: Yep, that it is. I´ll try to come up with even better ways as we go on. The abuse of random students is integral to his profession, after all.**

 **Anon: So close, yet so far. And to be honest, I think I brought Akeno´s little spiel a little early into the story, but I´ll roll with it, seeing as it makes the drama multiply by a factor of 9001 [memes go here]. And btw, small spoiler for the first paragraph, I won´t show what he does. Because I´m not a professional teacher and I cannot come up with any good exercises.**

 **Now that the reviews are answered, let´s-a-go, my friends!**

Rider whistled, signalling the end of the lesson, an action that made the nearly the entire class collapse on the ground. They felt a huge surge of emotions that ranged from relief, to joy, to some who were too exhausted to even feel anything. The few that were still standing took it upon themselves to help their friends get to the changing room.

And all the while, they whispered among themselves how the day before had been so much better. Obviously, since playing Dodgeball is much more fun than being forced to your limits constantly for a whole hour. Although the fact that they each got their own goal to achieve, essentially a personalized version of the exercises, was surprising, especially since they met this new teacher the day before. And as they gossiped with each other, said teacher just yawned and cracked his neck. Sitting around for the lesson and taking notes on each student constantly to track their progress was kind of exhausting, since he didn´t move his head too much.

But his fatigue was forgotten once he took note of a rather familiar face in front of him. It was the girl who thought of him as pathetic earlier, but now it seemed her opinion had shifted, judging from the way she carried herself less stiff and no longer had that disdainful expression on her face, now instead wearing a happy grin. In response, he raised an eyebrow, urging her to start talking. He had other things to do. Like drink his whole thermos of coffee. He needed that stuff after the all-nighter he pulled last night.

"Say, Sensei, could you come to the gym after school? I would like to ask you something." In his head, he heard Instinct cry out in utter despair, and Rider couldn´t suppress a twitch of the muscles below his eye. He replied with a nod, and went back to change, trying his best to tune out the incoherent ramblings of Instinct, who seemed to be torn between despairing over something and just wanting to bash his own head in for some reason. According to the few coherent things he said, the self-harm appeared to stem from the world being an insanely stupid place. Why he was so torn up over something so small like a student asking him to stay till school was over, Rider did not know.

As he entered the building, something dawned on him. Why was he changing his clothes in the first place? It´s not like he actually participated in the lesson or anything. He decided that he couldn´t be arsed to change from next time on, even if the suit was rather uncomfortable. And it was summer, and he would sweat like hell. And basically ensure the suit was unbearably stinky for the rest of the day…yeah, he would change.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, especially after Instinct shut up from his ramblings upon the girl´s demand after PE, for which Tatsuo was infinitely grateful. It was so much nicer to not have another personality of yours screaming in your head. But in the end, the only reason why he stopped was because of an art lesson, and one in a class he did not know. It was still a freshmen class though, and he gave nearly a carbon copy of the last lesson, although no one managed to enter the ´Zone´, which made the explanation of it rather awkward.

After that lesson, however, he had basically a free pass to leave. He sighed. While it was nice to have loads of free time as he was a ´newbie´, as some of his colleagues called him, it was rather annoying to constantly go back and forth between his apartment and school because every student apparently wanted to talk to him after school.

" _Like you can complain. Every GIRL here wants to talk to you, and the fact that you don´t acknowledge it kind of pisses me off. Some guys would kill for the attention you´re getting, believe it or not."_ Instinct interjected, causing the teacher to sigh, exasperated. It didn´t matter what other people thought, in the end, he was just being himself, and the kids had their own reasons for wanting to talk to him. He couldn´t change that. Besides, he was not planning on actually entering a relationship with any of his students. Mainly because it was against the bloody law. And second, he didn´t know any of them well enough to even consider them his friends.

Well, except for six of them, two of which were boys, and of the four girls, he would only consider dating two. Because Asia was more of a daughter or sister to him, and he still had a few gripes with Rias´ status as slaver, even if he knew that technically, it was not entirely true, but it still bothered him. But even those he would consider dating shared a relationship with him that he was rather comfortable with. He was not quite mentally prepared for a ´real´ relationship of boyfriend and girlfriend. He wouldn´t mind if Koneko or Akeno were to ask him out, however, he was quite certain that they didn´t feel something as strong as love for him, and he didn´t feel that way about them, either.

If Instinct was right, however, and Akeno did feel that way, it would be really problematic. Because he would not stay on this planet forever. Once the devils fixed his gear, he would take off into space and never return. Not until his creators were eradicated from this universe. And the thought of anyone crying over him is just too… honestly, why was he wasting his brain cells on this issue? There was no problem here, that much was clear. He stopped thinking about it, realizing that Instinct´s weird comments were the only reason why he actually cared about that subject.

Now he really wanted Instinct to feel pain. He valued his friendships with the devils highly, and for all he could tell, at this point, Instinct was out to ruin his whole life here. Granted, apparently he was showing him a past that he had, and that was great if it was true, but was this supposed ´other half´ truly worth trusting? He wanted to kill one of Tatsuo´s friends, and one of the TWO male ones he had, and even if he was a pervert, he was a true blessing in a world where seemingly all people that he ran into were female. Seriously, he had not met a single boy outside of Rias´ peerage that wanted to get close to him. Ichiro did not count. He just wanted to get closer to Levia-tan. And considering that made Tatsuo essentially a stepping stone, he wasn´t all too keen to consider the baker his friend.

A while later, he took note of a light groan coming from inside his head. He could tell right away who it was. Who else could it be? _"Dude, I don´t know what it is you did, but ever since this morning, I´ve been having the worst headache. It wasn´t all too bad at first, but ever since lunch break started, it´s been getting worse. So please, whatever it is you´re doing, stop it."_ Instinct groaned, making Rider blink. As far as he could tell, doubting Instinct caused him to feel pain. Interesting. Or maybe it was due to his rising desire to actually hurt Instinct. He would have a look into this later. He gave the voice no reply, and went into the train station, where his ride was just about to leave.

After his free time was over, he immediately headed back to school, though this time, he came early to ensure that there would be not a single student outside the building. He was _not_ in the mood to wade through a gigantic crowd right now. He would never be. And so, he was at the gym ten minutes before school actually ended, with nothing to do. He got out another book on the Bushido code, due to his insatiable thirst for more knowledge on the matter.

He was rudely interrupted in his studying when the bell rang, and seconds after, the first students charged outside. And they were quite loud. Annoyed, he lowered the book and got out his cell phone, inserting the earphones where they belonged, and playing some music at full blast. Good thing that his benefactors actually put some music on this thing, together with a large list of contacts. To be precise, seven contacts. Although in the picture with the instructions for it, they did note the irony of even giving him a phone. He did a good chuckle out of it, at least. And hey. The music of this planet wasn´t all too shabby.

And so, he continued reading, completely ignoring the mass of students that was flowing out of the main building and into the street. Although it was still almost louder than the music, something that thankfully remained an ´almost´, thus allowing the teacher to continue his lecture undisturbed. However, that proved to be rather inconvenient for a certain student that was trying to get his attention, and even though she was stood right in front of him, he did not take notice of her.

She was known for having a short fuse, and after but two failed attempts of getting his attention, she snapped and kicked him right in the shin. This broke his focus instantly, making him bend over and hold his hurting limb. His regeneration did not exactly help against pain, especially if he wasn´t wounded badly by it. As he was keeled over, the girl kneeled in front of him and pulled out his earphones.

"So, _Sensei_ , can you hear me now?" she said coldly, and when he looked up, he saw a rather pissed expression. Annoyed, he decided not to smack her with his book, and stood up, nodding. He had a feeling that it would only worsen the situation. She smiled, although her expression would still be frightening to anyone who was not an almighty alien samurai.

"Great. Now then, follow me, if you will." She gestured for the teacher to follow, which he did, somewhat regretting his decision to come here. And they entered the gym, where they went into one of the smaller rooms. It was quite the interesting building, you see. Instead of being just one big hall, this gym featured many smaller rooms for club activities, which were all connected by a singular, long hallway. And on the other end of the hallway was the largest one, which was made for the football **(non-American)** club and the basketball club, for use in winter.

However, she led him into one of the smaller rooms, where the floor was, in a stark contrast to the tiled hallway, made entirely of wood. Tatsuo was told to wait on a bench as she got ready, and told the others, whoever that may be. He waited for a few minutes before five girls entered the room, dressed in weird leather armor, which covered their torso, arms and waist. Beneath it they wore what seemed to be a keikogi **(classic martial arts training suit)** and a hakama **(basically the baggiest trousers ever)** and in their arms, they each held a helmet, save for one, who actually wore it, but was carrying a bag that made the sound of many sticks smacking into one another. The apparent leader of the group, the one who brought him here in the first place, then started explaining.

As it turned out, this was the girls´ Kendo club, and they barely met the requirements for existing in terms of members and the lack of a teacher supervising them due to the previous one being hospitalized. The fact was that the club was at the brink of being shut down, and they desperately needed a teacher to remain active.

"However, every other PE teacher is either a massive perv or incredibly incompetent for the job. They lack any sort of harshness in their training. They don´t even try to push us to our limits, but today you did, contrary to my expectations. At first, I thought of you as one of them, an incompetent idiot. I mean, why wouldn´t I? You made us run once, and after that, you basically gave a lesson suited for elementary school." The leader continued as Tatsuo watched intrigued by this student´s obvious zeal to get stronger. He also took note of the other girls´ nervousness, perhaps because the leader wasn´t as formal as society demands it. Oh well. He wasn´t one for formality anyways. His eyes focused back on the armor clad student in front of him, who hadn´t taken notice of his short lack of attention.

"But today, you proved yourself to be quite good at your job, even if you are new to this. So in short, we want you to become our supervisor. Please!" she exclaimed, bowing down as far as humanly possible, her clubmates following suit. He took a moment to soak it all in. A second later, the one girl wearing her helmet regretted putting it on.

For she had bent over so far that it nearly fell off, but she managed to correct her posture just before it did. Her clubmates stiffened and audibly gulped upon seeing her clumsiness kicking in at the worst possible time. Once he saw this rather funny display, he pondered turning them down due to his low tolerance of bullshit, including stupid, clumsy mistakes. However, Instinct interjected and offered to help solve the one real problem, and he was given control.

"Alright. I´ll ask you all a question. Depending on what the answer is, I will make my decision."

Not having heard him speak before, his pupil´s eyes shot open, and she looked up, nervous.

"A-and what may that question be?"

"The fuck is Kendo?"

They did not expect that question. It made the girls look at each other for a minute, just questioning among themselves whether this guy had been living under a rock his entire life, or if he was a foreigner of sorts. After a few moments of pure astonishment, the one carrying the bag opened it and exposed many swords made of bamboo, with two wooden katana tossed in the mix. That was all he needed to know. A wide, toothy grin formed itself on his face.

"Alright, I get the gist of it. You´ve got yourselves a deal. Let´s get started." He declared, making the unsure expressions of the students vanish, being replaced by relieved and happy smiles, before they cheered and laughed for a good minute. Afterward, they introduced themselves, and Instinct, who for once was allowed to take matters into his own hands, took out a pair of wooden katana and gave them to the girls.

"Well, since this is a sport I don´t know, we´ll only be doing practice matches today. Or rather, _you_ will be doing the practice matches. I´ll be watching from the sidelines." The leader, who had introduced herself as Ogawa Nariko, even though he already knew that, and the clumsy one, Hirano Naoko, awkwardly held the katana before explaining.

"Sensei, these aren´t meant for sparring, at least not for us. They are for you. You wouldn´t know this, but we spar using the shinai. You know, the ones made of bamboo." This made the teacher just stand there and blink for a second. Before he burst out laughing, much to the kendokas´ confusion. "Oh well, you learn something new every day. It´s my first day, so who cares? Just point out any mistakes. Come one, hand ´em over. I´ll get you your swords." He said, before fetching the shinai, and dumping the katana back in the bag. He handed them back to the two sparring partners, who took them, thanking the teacher before turning towards one another.

They each held their weapon with some degree of skill, something that both teachers applauded. At least they weren´t complete amateurs, even if there were about seven different ways that both of them could exploit those stances. Probably some stupid human rule to ensure ´good sportsmanship´. But hey, at least they had something to work with here.

Instinct simply clapped his hands to signal the start of the fight, and the two fighters took a few seconds in which they did next to nothing, idly bumping their shinai together, letting the sounds echo through the room. Then, Nariko smacked her opponent´s shinai aside, and right after that, jumped forward to deliver a swift cut to the torso. However, Naoko managed to bring her weapon back just in time to block the attack, resulting in them standing mere inches from one another, shinai crossed.

Then, they both let out a mighty scream. At least, in terms of volume. Instinct nearly became deaf because of it. He didn´t comment on it, though. He understood what it was, even without knowing the cultural background of this sport. That was an expression of their fighting spirit. And so, he watched as the warriors clashed, a smile on their face. This might just be a sport he could enjoy himself.

The fight continued for quite a while, with none of the combatants managing to get a hit in, always being blocked at the very last second. And every time their weapons crossed, they stared each other in the eyes and shouted, to show that they still had fight left in them. Until finally, Naoko´s clumsiness came back to bite her in the ass like a wild dog with rabies.

She had just blocked the shinai, however, because she tripped over her hakama, she barely pulled said block off, and with the right side of her sword. This opportunity was not wasted, and Nariko quickly slapped her friend´s right hand, earning her the victory. After all was said and done, the two bowed to each other, and took off their helmet, taking deep breaths of air.

"Well, that was a great fight. Alright, give your friends the shinai, I´ll be off. I´m not exactly capable to teach, after all. I´ll be back tomorrow, and I´ll have a proper plan to train you all, okay?" he explained, as he turned around and walking toward the door, before he stopped. "I just remembered. I still haven´t introduced myself, haven´t I? The name´s Samurai Tatsuo. I know, funny coincidence, get your laughter out of your systems." And that they did. The irony that their teacher in a club based around sword-fighting was called Samurai was not lost on them. Instinct just sighed as he scratched his head. He waved goodbye without turning around, and left while they were still laughing their asses off, though they did tell him goodbye as he exited the room.

After they settled down, the girls first wiped the tears from their eyes. After the desperation they had felt due to the threat of their club being shut down, the relief of averting the crisis paired with the pure irony of them knowing more about the way of the sword than someone literally called Samurai was a reason to celebrate. And that they would do. They decided to end practice for the day, seeing as they had a party to throw.

They went back to the dressing room, and chattered among themselves, mainly about which restaurant **/** ripoff McDonald´s they should go to eat in. After they made their decision, the conversation shifted to other topics, like the crushes they had.

"Well, Naoko, why don´t you just confess to Yuuto-san? You´re quite cute, if I do say so myself, and you are quite…mature in some places. Even if you are still obsessed with those childish plushies." Mao explained, cheekily grabbing hold of the label of the girl´s bra, checking the size. _"Tch, D-cup. Damn this kid."_ This naturally caused the poor thing to yelp, and turned around rapidly to escape the clutches of the teaser. Unfortunately, as she did, she tripped and fell on top of said girl, making them land on the floor in a rather compromising position.

"Ah! I´m sorry!" Naoko exclaimed, standing up and bowing, the motion making her tits jiggle around like crazy. Add to the fact that she was still blushing like hell from the teasing and the embarrassing situation, and she would probably have a short circuit in her brain, were she not used to this kind of stuff happening. And so, they all shared a nice round of laughter, until Naoko turned serious.

"Never, _never_ insult the Big Dango family again, Mao. No matter how many friends you have, nobody will save you from my wrath if you dare to slander them in any way. Got it?" As this was how things usually went, Mao just answered something along the lines of an apology, and the conflict was resolved. Then, Naoko turned back to her shy self, twiddling her thumbs, whispering to herself about the suggestion her friend had made.

As Mao was one of the few girls who was not exactly interested in Yuuto, she had an outsider´s perspective. And due to her frequenting the clubs in town, thus being generally involved with many people in similar situations, her advice on such a matter was worth its weight in gold. Her ramblings were interrupted by a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I wasn´t lying, you know. Confessing to a boy will make him very happy. So just take a while to get over your shyness, and go for it. Don´t think about things that are two steps ahead. When it comes to love, only think about the next step, and you´ll find that it will be much sweeter. Trust me, I know these sorts of things." Mao whispered into her friends ear, making her turn her head and nod thankfully, a smile on her face.

Then they heard surprised screams outside, followed by some weird creaking noises. Nariko and Akira, who were already dressed, picked up their shinai, and charged outside, ready to beat the living shit out of those perverts. They grinned devilishly once they heard Mao cry down the hall to leave the bastards alive enough to be punished by her as well.

The two dashed out the gym and quickly looked around. The perverts were nowhere to be seen. So, as there was only one place those idiots could still be, they ran around the building and searched the woods behind it. After a while, they came upon something that just made them stop every thought they had. They found the perverts, alright. They were right at the peeking hole that still hadn´t been fixed, sure. But something was off.

Perhaps because the idiots were hung upside down from a branch, a rope tied around their feet and around the tree they were currently hanging from. And on the tree was a note which read:

´I saw these cowards go behind the gym as I left. Punish them as thoroughly as you want. They deserve it for their actions. Sincerely, Samurai Tatsuo.´

They were quite astonished, as were their friends once they arrived at the scene. They would thank their teacher tomorrow. Because right now, they had other things to attend to. They undid the knot on the rope, making the perverts fall to the ground with a cry of pain. As the boys regained their senses, they noticed that their feet were still tied. And above them stood five rather angry girls that were brandishing their shinai.

"And now, you´ll know why we wear such thick armor." Said Nariko, no emotion in her voice. Only venom. Screams echoed throughout the woods for a long time that afternoon, but no one could hear them. Everyone else still had their club activities, and the halls were somewhat isolated in terms of sound. The only two who could hear them were the teacher himself and the one boy he saved from the torture, albeit reluctantly.

Issei was visibly shaking. This was the first time that he had been able to flee from his punishment, and the first time that his friends were on the receiving end. He gulped, and stood up, giving a salute in their general direction before turning around to face his teacher, who was sighing as he tapped his foot.

"Listen, kid. If you´re going to do it, to it properly. I know that you take pride in your love of the female body, so show it to the world. Don´t peek in through a hole in the wall. Just walk in through the door. And take responsibility for your admiration." Well, this was unexpected, to say the least. Issei immediately backed off a few feet upon hearing the voice. He gulped again.

"Y-you are Instinct, aren´t you?" The man nodded. "You want to k-kill me, right?" Another nod, and his throat went dry. He couldn´t gulp again if he tried. He took a deep breath to calm himself as sweat trickled down his forehead. "Listen, from what I´ve heard, you want to get actually get rid of Ddraig, don´t you?" Instinct nodded again, though his stoic face was now shifting, an eyebrow raised due to intrigue.

"Well, I´ve heard from Koneko-chan that I´ve basically got one year to live, so I would like to ask one simple question: why? Why would you try to ´banish the damn dragon into the ether´, as you said?" he asked, and Instinct pondered for a second before he answered. "I won´t tell you. Not now, anyways. Not when my other half hasn´t remembered yet. But when the time comes and he recalls his past, then we´ll be happy to tell you before you die. So look forward to that, kid."

Issei stared at him for a while before smiling. "You really are looking out for Tatsuo, huh?" Instinct smiled in response. "Of course. Who the hell do you think I am? We are two sides of the same coin. Of course we would look out for each other." In their head, Tatsuo felt a little bad for doubting Instinct, but threw that feeling away. It may all just be manipulation. He would not stop doubting until he saw proof.

"Anyway, I´ll be off. Who knows what crazy shit Prez and Asia get up to when I´m gone. See ya!" Before he could even turn around, a hand was on his shoulder. "Message from Tatsuo: repeat that, and clarify." And there went Issei´s hopes of surviving the night.

"Ah, that´s simple. Asia-chan and Rias live in his house. And might I say, they have quite the adventures together!" a familiar voice explained from behind them, prompting them to turn around. There stood Akeno and Koneko, one smiling serenely, while the other just stared at them in disdain. "Akeno-senpai! Why would you sell me out like tha-" He couldn´t finish his sentence as he was shoved away.

"Leave, kid. This is a private discussion." Instinct was completely serious, and Issei saw that. He stared for a second before waving goodbye and leaving. Akeno started talking immediately once he was out of earshot.

"We want to spend the night at your house."

 **And it´s a wrap! Heh, thirty chapters in, eh? Wonder how long this thing will last…**

 **ANYWHO, reviews are infinitely appreciated, and I do hope to see you wonderful people next time! Bye!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Well, well, well. WELL, WELL, WELL. W- Ok, I´ll stop.**

 **I´M BACK, BITCHES! Now, for many personal reasons (rejection, final year of school, laziness (basically the usual bullshit)), I wasn´t able to write for quite a while. Now, that has changed, and oh boy, this one was a doozy.**

 **But first, a tiny announcement: within the next week, I´ll be publishing another crossover, of which the main character has actually been referenced in here already! Now, there is a small game I would like you to play. Without going to my profile, find it. I´ll give you some hints, though:**

 **The two universes have only gotten one crossover so far, which was last updated around a year ago.**

 **It is set in a harem anime (cos why not)**

 **Anyone who doesn´t know the main character is dead to me.(not really though)**

 **It has magic.**

 **Well, those should be enough to figure it out. You´ve got about a week to find out, so good luck! Anyone who guesses it in the reviews first gets a cookie. I´ll only count answers from a) those who don´t follow my account, and b)after the first chapter has been published. So don´t go looking immediately after reading this!**

 **OFF WE GO!**

…

…

 **Aren´t we forgetting something…?**

 **REVIEWS, BITCH!**

 **ultima-owner: I´m glad you enjoyed the banter. Although I like to believe that there is no bad music, some so-called musicians like to prove me wrong by releasing crappy rap videos. And they do it EVERYDAY. Bro.**

 **Goldenclaw: HA! A devil or something! Oh, if only you knew…also, was doing some ´research´ for the beach chapter as well, if you know what I mean. Yes, I went on vacation. And I´ll say this: fuck seaweed.**

 **lolrus555: Nice to see you again! I thought you went and croaked or something. Because my fragile ego could never withstand someone leaving my story because it is bad…BUT! Who cares. ´tis all in the past, and you´re not obligated to read this if you don´t want to.**

 **Oh, by the way, totally stealing that title.**

 **Now then, ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you: the chapter where everything goes to shit!**

„…Come again?"

The older devil giggled at his dumbfounded expression. He was so easy to read. Granted, his counterpart was too, but that was beside the point.

"I said that we want to spend a night in your apartment. Is that too much to ask?" she replied, putting on the fakest frown ever seen. However, due to the guy´s despair, his shoulders slumped, and he lowered his head, thus being unable to see said frown. "I give up. This world has broken me. Tatsuo, you take over. I tried to remain serious, but this shit is just too retarded. Have fun. I´ll need some of those weird pills for this. What were they called again? Asspillin?"

And with a blink, Tatsuo was thrown back out into the fray. He wore an expression of surprise, and Akeno came a closer, sensing a golden opportunity. "Heeeey, Tatsuo? Will you please let me sleep over again?" She put on her best imitation of the classic little sister, bending over slightly and putting a finger on her lips. And for a second, the sweetness of her voice seemed to make the air around her turn slightly pink. Or maybe it was her pink cheeks that made it look like that. Wait, could she blush on command? Tatsuo would have to google if that was possible.

However, as this ran through his mind, he couldn´t help but take a few steps back. She seemed quite intent on getting rid of any space between them, and the nearest piece of weaponizable literature was stuffed at the bottom of his bag. There was no escape. For each step he took back, she closed the distance just a bit more. Sweat started to trickle down his forehead as a weird form of terror grew in his gut, becoming bigger with every step. Finally, she was right up in his face with this adorable expression. There was no way to avoid it. He was about to cave in when a rather annoyed devil cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself.

"Akeno-senpai, knock it off. If you absolutely want to behave like Issei-senpai, at least don´t make me watch." She sighed as Akeno just giggled and stuck out her tongue in an effort to annoy her junior as much as possible. Suffice to say, it worked. Koneko huffed and turned toward Tatsuo, who had managed to slip past Akeno and into a position that was kinder to his personal space. He shot her a grateful look that caused a weird feeling in her stomach, but she shook it off, focusing on the matter at hand.

"So, is it okay?" She asked, and she got a quick nod, which for some reason made the feeling from a second ago become even stronger. If she had to describe it, she would say it was some kind of itch. Or rather, many different itches all at once, inside her belly. She looked away, wondering just what it was, and held a hand on her stomach. It did not subside. Though she didn´t mind. It felt…good.

She looked back up at him, and gestured for them to go. He nodded, and they turned around. After they had taken a few steps, Koneko sighed, and stopped. "Akeno-senpai, don´t dawdle. We don´t want to miss the train." This elicited a joyful squeal from said girl, who hugged her from behind, and was thanking her over and over again. Alright, if she wanted to make her performance the definition of ridiculous, she had succeeded. At this point, she literally was an anime schoolgirl. Of the deredere persuasion. Of course, Koneko didn´t know that. She was simply annoyed at her senior´s insistence on teasing/annoying her, making her somewhat regret telling Akeno to come along. But Tatsuo did. And he was unsure whether or not to like it.

So, after an uneventful train ride, they arrived back at the apartment. And although they couldn´t shake the feeling of being followed, none of them openly spoke of it. Once they entered the safety of the apartment complex, the feeling subsided, and they quietly released a breath that they themselves did not know they were holding. It was relieving to be back.

As they climbed the stairs, some noise could be heard coming from above. Dreading the source, Tatsuo accelerated his ascent until he stood in front of the door to his apartment. Yep, it came from in there. Gulping, he gave the two devils of whom one was panting heavily and the other was staring in confusion a signal to stand back a bit. He got out his key and opened the door.

For a brief moment, nothing happened. Everything seemed alright. Hesitantly, he pulled the door open just a smidge. Then, a pink blur knocked the door open and right into him, making him fall to the floor on the opposite wall. He could only see stars for a while, presumably because of the shock. But surprisingly, they did not fade, not for a while. Then he took note of the white surrounding the stars, and felt the sheer rage of his other half surging through his head. Well, shit.

He pushed Levia-tan off of himself with a grunt before glaring at her. What the hell was all that about? However, she charged right back at him and grabbed him by the collar, shaking him as tears streamed down her face.

"Tatsuoooooo! Kaiya-san is being so mean! She took all my chocolate! Tell her that she should give it baaack! Tatsuoooo!" she cried, oblivious to the smug glint in his eyes. He had a feeling that someone was refilling the cabinet besides him, and since there was no chocolate when he left, that only proved him right. He glanced at Kaiya, who was carrying a large bag, presumably filled with said sweets, and they nodded at each other as she left him with the troublemaker and two very confused devils. As she passed Koneko, she blinked for a minute before grinning and whispering something into her ear before leaving, causing said girl´s eyes to widen and her jaw to slack for a brief moment, before she looked away, her cheeks coloured a bright red.

Tatsuo knew that he would get questioned later, and he had a feeling as to what Kaiya told Koneko. She may be old, but that lady was _very_ mischievous. But for now, he just flicked Levia-tan´s forehead to get her to pipe down so he could enjoy the satisfaction of being right just a bit longer. And so, when she opened her mouth again to complain, he shut her up immediately with a glare, and she knew that she was in trouble.

Mainly because he confiscated her treats for her actions the night before, and he was quite positive that he had Kaiya tell her that when she was to come and check on the devil. Obviously, it had turned out that she still got her hands on some sweets regardless. She stood up and walked back into the apartment dejectedly, heading for her room, where she would await her questioning.

With a sigh, our hero stood up and dusted himself off before picking up his belongings and holding the door open for the girls, as a gentleman does. He had learned much from Jojo´s Kooky Quest, especially the first part, Spoopy Blood, when it came to manners.

"Excuse me." They said as they entered and took off their shoes. Koneko snuck a look at her surroundings as she neatly placed her shoes at the entrance. It was quite the small apartment. And it had a nice, although weird smell permeating throughout it, albeit being barely noticeable. To be exact, it smelled of freshly baked bread. She turned toward Tatsuo, who had an evil grin on his face. It kind of reminded her of the Queen beside her when she got to ´play´, as she put it.

She neatly placed her shoes next to the door, and decided that the fact that she had no context meant that it was none of her business. Although she would like to inquire about it later. Not now, though. Not when Akeno was there, and seemingly was confused about the expression he was wearing. Maybe she had a cold or something.

After a few more seconds, Tatsuo led them into the living room, and offered to bring some water, which both guests accepted, seeing as it was a rather steamy day, even for summer. And so, with Tatsuo being seated in his designated spot, on his favorite pillow, which was placed on his favorite couch, and was in the one spot in the room with optimal distance to window, TV and heater that he was never too hot nor cold, and could watch television without being blinded by it when it was night, yet still didn´t have to squint to see what was going on.

And naturally, the girls were seated on the spots next to him. Because it was only proper to share the sheer pleasure that this couch brought. For a solid minute, all they did was sit and bask in the glory that was the couch. However, as they were experiencing heaven in this way, a thought popped into the host´s head.

Just why did these two come over in the first place? He wasted no time in voicing his confusion, and, to his mild surprise, Koneko blushed a rather noticeable amount of red. This was new. And bad. Because if anime had taught him anything, then **[BLUSH=CRUSH]**. And to him, **[CRUSH=BAD]**. As in, it was literally the worst possible thing that could happen.

However, he dismissed the thought. He couldn´t trust Instinct, and for all he knew, this was only meant to manipulate him to the…whatever the hell Instinct was. An entity? Nah, too formal. A being? Sounds okay, but he could do better. A madman? Perfect. So, as he was saying, this may all just be a ploy to manipulate him according to the madman´s whims.

So, even though the blush persisted, he dismissed it as her being hot or just disliked being put in the center of attention. He had witnessed as much in class. Oh, and hot as in temperature. Sure, she was attractive, but…just get your mind out of the gutter.

"Well, is it really that weird that I visit a friend´s home? Especially since I – we only got to see you again yesterday?" she replied as she found a rather interesting spot on the floor, and her gaze just stuck to it like glue. She had no idea why, but for some reason, she could just barely squeeze out that excuse – wait, excuse? She was quite sure that she had no other reason to be here. She stopped her ponderings when something knocked on the door.

They all turned around, and the other inhabitant stood there, nervously twiddling her thumbs. "Um, Tatsuo? I´m hungry. Could you get me something from the store? Anything will do. Don´t look at me like that. I had no lunch." She said, pouting upon seeing her roommates´ doubtful expression. A few seconds later, likely due to a certain madman´s interjection judging from the shift of his expression to a more annoyed look, he sighed and stood up, grabbing his wallet from his bag before heading out.

At first, no one said anything. After seemingly half a minute had passed and they faintly heard the door downstairs slam shut, Levia-tan sprung into action, so to speak. She hopped onto the couch, completely disregarding the fact that she was seated on Tatsuo´s holy spot. It was then that Akeno and Koneko learned just why she was never given sugar in any form while she was in hell.

"Yay! Now we´ve got this place all to ourselves! Let´s go to my room!"

She yelled smiling, loud enough to make the two visibly wince. So this was why Kaiya and Tatsuo banded together to assure that this girl never got her hands on any amount of sugar. They silently cursed whoever gave it to her. Less than five minutes after entering the apartment, the two devils were already convinced that Levia-tan should NEVER be allowed to eat anything even remotely sweet. You´d expect, with the thing she decided to cosplay as, even if it was technically not a cosplay, but a lifestyle at this point, that if she ate sugar, she would instantly receive diabetes due to how sweetly she acted already. But no. This was SO MUCH WORSE.

In fact, while the two often bickered, this was one thing that they could agree upon. And it was all conveyed in a single moment, when the Great Satan grabbed the two with her incredible strength, dwarfing Koneko by a huge margin, and carried them to her room, and the two, when time seemed to slow down incredibly for but a fraction of a second, and they made eye contact. They both shared the fear and hope that Tatsuo would come back and end this, paying no attention to the fact that it was ever so slightly suspicious how only he could tame her…

Because a Great Satan going hyper would not only render Kaiya completely deaf, but might just blow up the entire city, heck, half the country if she felt like it. So obviously, they gave little thought to the relationship between the two, and focused more on the imminent danger. And so, they were tossed onto the bed, which was coloured in a pink so bright, they nearly got blinded. The very next second, they were tackled onto it, and Levia-tan started giggling uncontrollably.

"Alright friends, let´s play! And I brought the best game, too! TADA!"

She presented a bottle, making them gulp. They knew what was coming. Their dignity might not survive this.

"Spin-the-bottle!"

They looked each other in the eye, and they each saw something a little different. In Akeno´s eyes, the fear had lessened, but it was still there. However, it was not about her own dignity. It was the fear of having to reveal something that she would rather keep bottled up, especially in front of her junior. But at the same time, there was that teasing, opportunistic glint buried beneath it. If she played her cards right, then this might just help her Kohai with her feelings.

Said Kohai displayed the same fear from earlier in her gaze, but on an even stronger level. She was visibly shaking, because she did have her pride, and this might just completely drive it into the ground. That, and she absolutely despised being teased, and this was all that this game was: an excuse to demand someone to do incredibly ridiculous dares, and if they had the common sense to refuse, they were ridiculed. But that was not the only thing she felt.

Hatred. She could see it in her Senpai´s eye. She would use this to do exactly what she hated so much. She hadn´t expected anything else, but she had trusted the Queen to at least not use this situation to her advantage to be her usual self and tease her. She knew just how much Koneko hated it, and yet, there it was, that sadistic look in her eye, and it seemed to get even more arrogant once she took notice of the younger one´s disdain for this game, even faking pity to quench that sadistic urge.

What Koneko did not know, was that the pity was not fake at all. Akeno was reminded of the Rook´s hatred for this sort of game once she looked into her eyes, and made it clear to herself that she should not actually be doing this, manipulating the girl to her own end. But was this not for the best? Was it not necessary that she engage in this sort of behaviour, if it guaranteed her happiness?

But then, that blasted, insatiable side of hers piped up again. _"Of course it is necessary that we ensure happiness by any means possible. Or rather, ensure_ _ **our**_ _happiness. Who cares about that little piece of filth? She is just standing in our way. We need him more than she does."_ It said, it´s attempt to seduce the Queen making her sweat slightly as she briefly saw an image in her mind´s eye, showing her in a wedding dress, kissing him as everyone else applauded. The image made her heart ache for a future where such a thing was possible, where she could enjoy the pleasure of his embrace, and make their love blossom…

However, she knew. Somewhere in the blank space that it was not showing her, there was a small, white haired girl, crying, her heart aching uncontrollably, and if the worst came to be, she might grab a rope and-

Akeno shuddered at the thought. Never. _Never_ would she allow that to happen. She might give up on fulfilling her desires, but she could handle it. Her Kohai? Not so much. The poor thing had no real desires up to this point, hell, she didn´t even know how desiring anything felt! Akeno, on the other hand, had all her wishes fulfilled the second she asked for it. After all, she was the Queen of a prominent devil clan.

Meanwhile, back in reality, Levia-tan was humming the intro to her series as she placed the bottle on a book she´d grabbed from one of her shelves, which was filled with similar books to the one standing in Tatsuo´s room. Naturally, she didn´t read any of them.

"Alright, I´ll go first!" she declared cheerfully, giving the bottle a good spin. The other two snapped back to reality, and anxiously fixated their gaze on the bottle. It spun for what felt like an eternity. And then, ever so slowly, it came to a halt. And the first victim was…

"Um, so, I guess I´ll spin again." Levia-tan said, seeing as the bottle was pointing at her. With gusto, she spun it again, albeit with a little less tension from the guests. Just a little, though. After a half minute of complete silence, with the exception of the grinding of the bottle against the leather binding of the book, it landed, much to the other´s relief, on the older guest.

"Alright, Akeno-chan! Truth or dare?" she asked, causing Akeno to smile serenely as she placed a finger on her chin in thought. "Hm, I wonder. I think I´ll go with…truth." She answered, well aware that this was banking on the hope that her host would not accidentally reveal her feelings to her Kohai. That would be the worst.

"Truth, huh?" Levia-tan muttered, pouting as her eyes fixated on a certain pair of spheres. "Are those real?" she asked, jabbing her hand toward Akeno´s breasts, causing the Queen to giggle joyfully. This was a safe question. "Yes, they are. You can feel it for yourself, if you don´t believe me." This answer immediately made the Great Satan regret asking what she did, and she stuttered out an apology, assuring that she did indeed trust the Queen. Next, it was Akeno´s turn, and she spun the bottle. And when it stopped, she tensed up, as did Koneko.

"Well then, Koneko-chan, it´s your turn! Truth or dare?" Levia-tan cheerfully announced, waiting for a response. After a while without one, the Rook choked out a response. "Truth." She whispered, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible. She didn´t notice, but she was shaking. Not due to her hatred for the game, but this was because of her fear. Her fear of being ridiculed and belittled.

Akeno, however, did notice, and although it made her feel incredibly guilty, she did not take off her serene mask that was her smile, and thought of a question to help the girl realize her feelings. "Truth…hm…" she mumbled to no one in particular, thinking carefully about how to approach this delicate issue.

"Koneko-chan, what do you think of Tatsuo´s teaching? Is it to your liking?" she asked, seemingly surprising her Kohai, as her jaw slacked ever so slightly. She seemed to have expected a much more intimate question, not something rather normal. And that was good. This would help Akeno judge just how profound those emotions are, and she would also make a passing comment about how dreamy he truly was after hearing the answer. That should help stir something within Koneko. Hopefully. This might just backfire. A young, fragile girl like her is prone to feel hopeless and give up immediately when she hears that her Senpai might just be interested in her crush.

Man, if you´re trying to help someone with no confidence when it comes to love, being hot as all hell really sucks. Or rather, _hotter_ than at least half of hell.

Now, Koneko was somewhat struggling to answer. She simply had expected to flat out refuse to answer because the question would be simply ludicrous or disgusting, probably both. But this? A reasonable question? She needed some time to process it, and when she did, she didn´t think about what she said, as a few moments had passed, and even someone as sociably inept as her could feel the mood starting to become awkward.

"Well, you see, I really like his teaching. He actually sees me as an equal, and gives me an actual challenge, unlike all the other incompetent fools. He doesn´t just lecture us, he actually lets us apply what we learned immediately. But the best part has to be the parts where he poses a question, and just lets us brood over it." She took a moment to take a short breather, "It feels not like we are trying to advance the lesson, but instead that he is giving us a foundation that we may build upon. It is honestly more like philosophy." She finished, having to take another breath right as she finished. This answer left the other two stunned.

Levia-tan knew immediately what was going on. She glanced at Akeno, and her suspicions were confirmed. This was literally the worst case scenario. She regretted having told the Queen now that she was rooting for her, as it could only have made the pain worse. She admired the selflessness of the Queen, seeing as the Great Satan knew the tragedy that befell both of these girls.

They both needed someone to comfort them, but the fact that Akeno was willing to give it up to make her friend happy was truly admirable. She decided not to say anything, and instead to just smile reassuringly, as she knew that someone like Akeno would without a doubt try to bring those two together. And she would probably even pull it off, without any other help. But naturally, this would not do.

The Great Levia-tan would not just let her shoulder this burden alone! No, she would help, in any way she could. If Akeno had accepted her loss and was willing to sacrifice herself for Koneko, then who was she to oppose? No, she was a dear friend to Serafall, too, and so was Koneko. And friends help each other, no matter what!

"Well, that is quite the answer. I guess you really do trust him, huh?" Akeno answered, the serene smile masking the pain perfectly. Koneko started blushing. Was it that obvious? She started curling up slightly to hide her face. "Hey, there is nothing wrong with that, Koneko-chan. We both trust him too. Right, Miss Levia-tan?" she continued, turning toward said devil, who nodded furiously.

"Yes, of course! Tatsuo is a great guy! Even if he is a meanie at times…but that doesn´t matter to me that much anyways. It´s a breath of fresh air from all those guys that mindlessly worship me like some sort of goddess. And we all know that there is literally nothing further from the truth, now don´t we?" she spoke, showing her wings for more emphasis, eliciting a giggle from Akeno and a quiet laugh from Koneko, who had stopped curling up.

"You see, my dear little Kohai? There is nothing to be ashamed of. Look, let me tell you a little something. When we had him in PE, naturally, when I saw him, I instantly tried to get the drop on him, and ended up with a smack on my head. But you know what? Even with all the students whispering, he decided to give me some special treatment, if you know what I mean." She explained, making Koneko groan. This was just another prank, wasn´t it?

"You remember back in the valley, where he used that clock to torture me forever?" she continued, causing the younger devil´s eyes to widen. There was just no way. "Well, he brought that with him, and, obviously, decided to continue right where he left off. It wasn´t exactly pleasant. But you know why I´m telling you this? It´s because it shows that he cares. He cares about me, albeit less than say Asia, and about you too. I mean, he trusts you enough to let you into his home. The only way I got in was by being able to cook decently, unlike someone else in the room." A certain Great Satan sneezed. "And come on, admit it, you saw just how relieved he was when you saved him from my teasing." She finished, making Koneko slowly retreat again.

There was just too much to process. Why was Akeno acting like this? This is the first time that she had not tried to tease her for quite a long period of time. And she could see the reasoning behind her words. And hearing that he trusted her made something familiar return. It was that feeling from earlier, when he had looked at her with that grateful look in his beautiful blue eyes…

She shook her head. Just what was she thinking? She took a deep breath, and lifted her head onto her knees. She felt…happy thinking about what she had just heard. But why? Akeno decided that it was time to be a little more forceful. She couldn´t just beat around the bush. At some point, she needed to start showing her the possibility of a romantic relationship. Up to this point, everything had been said under the pretext of a platonic one, and she needed to veer into more intimate territory, as much as her friend hated it.

"But that´s not all, isn´t it? It´s not that you just trust him, right?" she asked, ignoring the unsure look on Levia-tan´s face. Koneko tensed up. Just what was she implying? "After all, you have to admit, he is _quite_ the looker, right? And you seem to brighten up by quite a bit when he is around." The Queen continued, well aware of the increasingly shocked look on her friend´s face. However, she went even further.

"Come on, Koneko-chan. You like him, right? Not just as a friend, but –" she never got to finish. "SHUT UP!" Koneko cried, shaking visibly. "just…stop…please…it hurts…" she choked out as she cried into her arms. The next moment, the door slammed open, and the other two snapped toward the sound. Tatsuo was stood right in the door, and he looked quite displeased. He tossed a fresh sandwich onto the bed before scooping up his student bridal style. He looked at the other two with disdain before turning around and going to his room, Koneko sobbing in his arms, apparently unaware of what was going on.

The other two just sat there, stunned. The elder devil looked at the Queen, who was obviously in dire need of some comfort. She had pushed too far too quickly. Koneko seemed to have trusted her somewhat in not asking ridiculous things, and she had betrayed that by pestering her like that. She then looked at her reflection in the mirror on the nearby table. Tears were streaming down her face. She looked broken. And there was no one there to fix her broken heart. It was only held together by the hug given to her.

But it made it only more painful as it sank in. She had now truly lost all hope for happiness. He hated her now. She thought to have accepted never receiving his love, but now she would probably never even be his friend again. She didn´t care that Koneko would be happy. She had always hoped to at least be somewhat close to him, but now, that hope had been shattered. Thanks to the Great Satan´s magic, her cries were not heard by anyone but the two of them.

That evening, love started to blossom, but at what cost?


	32. Chapter 32

**Welcome back to this mess! Now, let´s just get right to the reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: Yeah, that would be the worst, haha…DEFINITELY should not actually create some relations that would enable that, haha…yeah, this iteration of Japan is screwed. Also, as you implied (sort of), fuck spin the bottle.**

 **Now then, let´s get right to it!**

Tatsuo laid his friend down on his bed, making sure to cover her with his bed sheets once he did. She was still sobbing quietly, and shaking quite a bit. He felt a bit awkward, as he did not know what to do as he watched her silently suffer. He was just glad that Instinct was being quiet.

"…hey, Tatsuo?" came a small, cracking voice. He looked Koneko in the eyes, which were reddened by her tears. She was completely red in the face, something he had never seen her do before. She bit her lips before asking her question. "How much did you hear?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. He thought to have heard something that confirmed his fears, but that had been immediately thrown out the window once he heard her cries. His gesture made her sigh in relief. At least they wouldn´t have any awkwardness in their friendship. Though now she asked herself. Was Akeno right? Did she in fact like Tatsuo…? Because the idea made her feel that feeling again.

She looked at him, and held out a hand, still blushing from earlier. "Could you…you know…?" she asked, and without hesitating, he put his hand into hers. It was big, warm, and made her feel all fuzzy inside. She smiled a bit, although the tears were still flowing. "Thank you. I´ll be sleeping then…" she said, closing her eyes and soon entering the realm of dreams.

Tatsuo held her hand for quite a long amount of time, nearing half an hour, before Instinct piped up, and informed him that he still had work to do. And while he would´ve preferred giving his friend the comfort she needed for as long as possible, he too decided that work was important as well, and so let Instinct take control to study up on Kendo.

He then decided to try out Instinct´s favourite pastime: naps. He closed his mind´s eye, and drifted off…only to be awoken from his dreamless sleep moments later. At least, that´s what it felt like. Upon checking the clock, it turned out that at least two hours had passed, and now he was in control again. There was some shifting that could be heard in the room, and he looked around to check, worrying about a certain someone.

As it turned out, his worries were not misguided. Koneko had a pained expression on her face, and was thrashing around, the bedsheets lying on the floor already. She was breathing heavily, muttering ´no…´ under her breath, and was sweating a lot. Tatsuo immediately sprang into action and put his hand on her forehead. She seemed to have no fever. He then did the only thing he knew he could do, seeing as she was obviously having a nightmare.

Hold her hand.

And it seemed to work, too, as she started to calm down soon after, her breathing getting steadier and her expression freeing itself from tension, slowly. After a while, she put her other hand on his, and a small smile formed itself on her face. Then, it got worse again, much worse than before, and he held her hand throughout the whole thing, but it only got worse, until…!

She pulled him into bed with her, shaking as she wrapped her other arm around his torso, making sure that he could not get away – or be snatched away. He was surprised at first and nearly panicked, but decided not to. Instead, he returned the hug, and slowly stroked her head, from the top all the way down to the neck. This calmed her immediately, and her grip loosened a bit.

She started nuzzling her head against his chest, and made weird sounds. As he continued stroking, he felt something else wrap around him. It felt hairy, soft, and…it was a cat tail. Wait, what? He looked closer, and true enough, that was a cat tail. He stopped stroking for a second, seemingly upsetting her, but to satisfy his curiosity, he poked it. It twitched around for a second, then slapped his hand.

He took that as signal to continue petting her. When he placed his hand on her head again, though, there were foreign objects on it. He checked, and they were…cat ears. Alright, he understood now. He continued petting her, and now understood what those noises were, too. She was purring, the cute little thing.

Guess that answered his question in the Rating Game about where he could get his own cat-girl. There was one under his nose the entire time!

 _It was that dream again. She felt the whip again, striking her sore back. She had stopped counting how often she had felt the sensation. It was far too often, that is for sure. She screamed again, every time he whipped her. She would never get used to it. The blood trickled down her back, staining her outfit._

" _ **Oh, so you got the uniform dirty. And I bought it especially for you, too. It seems that I must teach you proper manners."**_ _He said, grinning like a madman. It cracked again, and he made sure to hit her right in her wound, making blood spray into the air. She cried out in pain. He struck her again, enjoying the process as much as possible._

 _She closed her eyes, trying to faint so he would lose interest, but he foresaw it, and cast a spell that kept her awake, regardless how tired she was. He cackled, and licked his lips. He grabbed her by her hair, and pulled her up to look her right in the eye. Her fear turned into confusion. By this point, she should be rescued. What was happening…?_

" _ **Well then, since you effectively made me lose face through your incompetence AND ruined an outfit I commissioned ESPECIALLY FOR YOU, I guess you should pay me back. With your body, Shirone-chan."**_ _He spoke in a husky tone, making her eyes widen. Then, his grin getting even wider, he grabbed her maid uniform, and tore the pitiful shreds that were left after her punishment to shreds, revealing her undergarments._

 _She screamed and struggled, but it didn´t help. She was tied up and at the mercy of a beast. She pushed herself away as much as she could, but he just pulled her back by her hair._ _ **"No running away now, Shirone-chan."**_ _He said, letting go of her hair and punching her in the stomach, which completely ended her resistance. She had no fight in her left._

 _Then, she felt something touch her cheek. She didn´t want to look, because she knew exactly what it was. He pushed it into her cheek again and again, and she knew what he was implying. But she wouldn´t take that disgusting thing into her mouth. He was starting to get impatient, and lifted her up again._

" _ **Listen, you little slut. You will suck it, or else I´ll make your other mouth do it for you. Got it?"**_ _he yelled, making her freeze. Upon seeing this, he grinned._ _ **"You´ve got exactly three seconds. 3…"**_ _he started, not letting go of her hair. She tried to get closer to obey, but he was not letting go. The bastard was…!_

" _ **2…"**_

 _No. It couldn´t end like this. Where was her rescue? Where? Where was it? She called out for help._

 _No one came._

" _ **1,,,"**_

 _She stopped calling. It was hopeless now. She felt cold. Alone. Abandoned in this dark, bloodied dungeon cell._

" _ **0"**_

 _She braced herself for it. But nothing happened. She started to feel…warm. She opened her eyes. It was gone. The cell had disappeared. Instead, she was sitting on a cloud, high in the sky. She stood up, and looked around. She spotted eight other clouds, but no one was there. She felt warmer and warmer, and realized just where it came from._

 _She looked at her left hand. It was glowing red. She put her other hand around it, and sure enough, it was the source of the warmth. She smiled. She recognized it. This was Tatsuo´s hand, no doubt about it. She felt giddy all of a sudden. She thought about him, about how great a friend he truly was._

 _Then, as she thought of him that way, something did not feel quite right. It was as if something was making her lose that warmth. The glow started to slowly lose it´s splendour, before it was nearly completely gone. Desperately, she clawed at it, tried to bring back that feeling, but then…she slipped._

 _She was falling. The light was out of her reach. Glancing behind her, she saw a familiar, terrifying sight. It was his castle. And right below her, an open ceiling, which lead right into her cell. He was waiting for her, brandishing his whip. She stared for a brief second, then did everything in her power to change her course. But she couldn´t do it. She was falling too quickly._

 _And so, she looked up one final time. At the light of her life. She extended her hand toward it. And actually grabbed onto it. She blinked. Then, once she realized that she was holding it, she latched onto it with her other hand, and drew him in._

 _She felt the glow take physical form, and felt his embrace. She knew in that moment, that she loved him. Without her own knowledge, she revealed her deepest secret to him, in that exact embrace. And in it, she found what she had yearned for, what she had sought her entire life._

 _Something that made her fear dissipate like smoke._

 _Something that she had never experienced until now._

 _Happiness._

The next morning, she awoke rested and refreshed, something that had never happened before. Usually her sleep was short and/or plagued by nightmares. But today, she felt great! She felt like she could take on the whole world and come out victorious. She slowly opened her eyes, and came face to face with, well, Tatsuo´s face. Her face went red near instantly. She snuck a glance at a clock which was conveniently placed next to the bed, and from what she could tell, it was quite some time before the sun dawned.

She thought back to the night before and froze up when she remembered what she´d learned about herself. She just lay there, completely frozen, until she realized another important fact. Her true nature was revealed, her tail and ears were out. Her thoughts kept on going, and she noticed just how insecure she was around him now that she knew about her love to him. But then, something occurred to her.

" _If I want this to last, then I have to have him fall for me. Now."_ She thought, and then an idea popped into her head. Now, she would have never done this before, as it was the sort of thing Akeno would do, but she needed it. " _Just a taste"_ she thought, looking at his lips, which were letting out warm air, tickling her nose with it. She licked her lips, and started to move her face closer to his.

She got closer and closer, and the exhaled air started getting more and more warm the closer she got. Time seemed to slow. Then, just as their lips were about to touch…! The alarm rang, knocking her out of her stupor, making her jump slightly. What the hell, she nearly screamed. It was still around 5´o´clock!

Koneko Toujou then noticed something rather unnerving in that moment. His eyes were open. But those were not Tatsuo´s eyes. That was Instinct. She nearly kissed that _thing._ "Listen up, kitten. Tatsuo is kind of sleeping right now. Understandable after the fuss you made in your sleep. Now, I´ll go to work, and I´ll make sure the guy stays asleep, and then, we´ll have ourselves a little talk, capiche?" he all but demanded, leaving no room for debate. All she could do was nod dumbly.

He then ordered her to go to sleep again until such time as he woke her up. She complied, and shut her eyes, still numb from the shock. However, she couldn´t exactly sleep, not with the flipping of pages, scribbling of pens, and typing, clicking and other sounds echoing through the room. It was just a bit of research on Instinct´s part, but it made Koneko feel like he was trying to break her with every noise he made.

Finally, after what felt like hours, but was barely twenty minutes, the beast sighed and got up from the desk, shaking her lightly to wake her up. Of course, this was unnecessary. She was wide awake. But she refused to open her eyes. She knew that he would only stomp on her feelings. It was Instinct after all, a mindless beast. What did he know about love?

"Okay, get up. I know you´re awake." No. She refused. He sighed in response.

"If you don´t, I´ll tell him what you tried to do. It is in both our interests to keep that conversation from happening. Listen, I´m trying to help you." That was a lie. He may sound like it, but he is not someone who helps for nothing. He wants something out of it. And who knows what a beast like him would demand from her.

"Well, it´s your choice. You do realize that with my help, winning this idiot over will be even easier than if you were a 5-star chef, right?" he explained, which got her to open her eyes, after some thinking. In the end, he was right. And she would go any distance for that sensation she felt in her dream.

"Alright, good. Now then, let´s get right to the point. You love him, right?" he asked, and she nodded without hesitation, shocking him, but also causing him to groan slightly. "…just great…" Instinct muttered under his breath, before getting back on track. "Well then, kitten, let me tell you this: Tatsuo wants to leave this planet. He wants to return to his self-imposed duty of guarding the idiots who threw him into prison. Thing is, he´ll do that the second his gear is repaired. Do you think you can live with that?"

She froze. While she had always known it in the back of her mind, hearing it being said so openly by the one who knew, by far, the most about her loved one was a wholly different thing. And yet, she would persist. She was not exactly known to be extremely stubborn, but today, she would be just that. She nodded again. She would not give up.

Instinct grinned. "Well spoken, sort of. Alright kitten, since it is a weekday, go back to sleep. I´ll make Tatsuo ask you out tomorrow or something. Besides, I´m only halfway through this shit, and I still need to organise breakfast. Oh, speaking of breakfast, I´ll make sure the other one apologizes." He remarked, and Koneko nodded happily, and threw her head onto the pillow. "Although she did manage to do what she was trying to…" he added under his breath before yawning loudly. "Man, the things you have to do for your other half these days…"

He knocked on Levia-tan´s door, and there was no answer. He knocked again. Still no answer. He announced that he would enter. Still no response. He turned the doorknob, and went into the room. It was completely dark. "Hey, anyone there? I´ll flick on the lights." He said, before doing exactly that.

What he saw made his jaw slack. Levia-tan and Akeno were naked, and sprawled all over the bed. He saw various ´toys´ lying about, but even without those, he knew what had transpired here during the night. Gulping, he observed their curves. Damn, if he didn´t know the circumstances, he might´ve gone for it. Instinct covered them with a blanket, then turned off the lights and closed the door as quietly as he could. He then went back to his room, and opened the computer again, typing: ´How to make eggs and bacon´.

Later that day, Koneko, Akeno and Levia-tan woke up to the delicious smell of bacon. The first rushed straight to the kitchen, while the other two got dressed before doing so. Once they were all there, they were surprised to see Tatsuo´s body cooking what looked to be rather well done Bacon´n´Eggs. As it turned out, Instinct was cooking this as to not wake up Akeno, as "this is the least amount of hospitality we can show you, especially with the lack of dinner yesterday.", as he so eloquently put it. Now, as they were eating, an awkward atmosphere was prevalent in the room, so Instinct decided to do something about it.

"Hey, Queen." He said, getting their attention, specifically Akeno´s, who gulped audibly. "Apologize." He demanded, and she set down her fork and knife. Her smile when she cleaned her mouth with the towel was obviously fake, and she then stood up, and bowed to Koneko. "I´m deeply sorry, Koneko-chan. My teasing yesterday went too far. We shouldn´t have tried to force you to play with us in the first place." She said, still bowing, her smile unfaltering. Yet still, so very fake.

Koneko got slightly flustered upon seeing Akeno be so sincere, and accepted the apology without any big ceremony. She then glanced at Instinct. He seemed worried. Well, at the very least he kept his promise. So she could somewhat trust him. Looking at the clock, it was nearly time to go. Levia-tan cleaned up the dishes while the others got ready for work/school. As she was doing this, she was approached by a worried looking Instinct. She didn´t have to turn around to know that it was him. She sighed, and turned around to look him in the eye. He told her that Tatsuo was, thankfully, still asleep, so she could be as open as she wanted.

"Good. I wouldn´t want him to hear about any of this." She said, casting a spell to keep this conversation as private as it could get, the exact spell she used the evening before. "I know that you came into our room, Mr Instinct." She stated matter-of-factly, making him raise an eyebrow. "Alright, two things: just Instinct is fine, and how did ya know?" he responded, crossing his arms.

Her gaze got a little softer. "I may not seem like it, but I _am_ still a Great Satan, you know. Besides, with how she is feeling, do you really expect me to not try and come up with ways to lessen her pain?" she explained, drying off the plate in her hand before setting it aside. "I do realize that. But even you can tell that what you did may only make things worse. If she tries to lessen the pain through sex, then there might be some that might try to-" he tried to reason, before being cut off by a slap to the cheek. Instinct was shocked beyond words. He tentatively touched his reddened cheek before immediately pulling it away. There was magic involved in that slap. And it hurt like _hell._

She was trembling, shocked at what she had done herself, but still keeping her composure, even as tears formed in her eyes. " **Don´t even think about it. That is something that we must prevent."** She spoke, her voice seeming much deeper and darker than Instinct was used to. This was far more befitting of a Great Satan. And he hated it. He wanted his precious Levia-tan back. Screw the Great Satan Serafall Leviathan. He regained his wits, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen. We all make mistakes. And trust me on this, I don´t want that to happen as well. But the fact is, your actions were only a temporary solution, and the long-term consequences might just ruin her life." He stated, having to strengthen his grip on the girl, as she seemed to want to leave right away. "I am not judging you for what you did, alright? So just calm down, and-" He couldn´t finish his sentence, as he noticed tears running down her cheek. He took note of how strong his grip had become, and he let go immediately.

Her knees gave way, and she fell to the ground, the tears leaving little dark spots on her clothes. "What was I supposed to do…? Tell me, Instinct…what would you have done?" she whispered, looking up to him. Her eyes were pleading, begging for him to agree with what she did. And so, Instinct kneeled down, and wiped away her tears. "I wouldn´t have done anything. I don´t think that I would have had the resolve to, Levia-tan." He answered, making her eyes widen as he gave her a hug.

After a minute, her smile returned. "I guess we´ll have to leave this problem to him, like always, huh?" she asked, getting a nod for a response. "Indeed. Though we´ll help set them on the proper course, right, Levia-tan?" he responded, making her giggle.

"Call me Serafall, Instinct. You know, what would you say if I asked you out to dinner next week?"

"I´d answer yes without hesitation."

 **Oooooh. That´s adorable. Well, now there is a single (three) question(s): will Tatsuo get a girlfriend after over thirty chapters? Will he be able to help Akeno cope? Will Instinct get some too?!**

 **Find out next time (in about fifty-ish chapters if this pacing says anything)! Oh, before I forget, review plz. Bye!**

 _ **he**_ _he_


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey guys, guess what! I´m back! And I have wonderful news! The other crossover is officially out! So, nice as I am, I have one last hint for you. Seeing as I do believe no one has found it in the last week.**

 **Final hint:**

" **Just who the hell do you think I am?!" Main character, 2009 – Infinity**

 **Ahem, excuse that outburst of pure manliness. Now then, after that, finding it should be an absolute doozy. Now then, anything else on the to-do list… AHA! REVIEWS!**

 **ultima-owner: Excellent, I was trying to make the dream, well, dreamy. That kind of** _ **was**_ **an important part of the story. And yes, Levia-tan did ask him out on a date. Because Tatsuo can only handle so many tits (and lack thereof) at once. Someone else needs to shoulder the "burden" as well (the damn pricks). Even if they live in the same body as Tatsuo.**

 **Goldenclaw: …so much for that first point. Anyways, I´m glad to hear that my story is one of the few romances you´ve read. I myself am an absolute sucker for a well written romance, so…not gonna ramble, but I´ve read my fair share of those stories. And yes, that includes those that wear the M label for different reasons than having an essentially godlike warrior rip his enemies a new asshole. Though assholes are certainly involved, though in a more stabby fashion. Also, absolutely don´t mind that you haven´t watched DxD, seeing as it makes this a bit more exciting, eh? Besides, it isn´t exactly my place to criticize you for it. I leave that to the anime community. Because Jesus, those guys are worse than Instinct at times (all the time). Oh, and at this moment, the anime plot won´t progress a lot anyways, as I am trying to get the romance aspect going. On all fronts…**

 **Let´s see, reviews are done, so…yep, next thing on my list is fap – no, hang on, wrong list. Ah yes, here we go. Hmmmm…ah, right!**

 **ACTION!**

Instinct was closely observing Akeno, from the second they left the apartment right up to this very moment. They were on the train, and she had not yet spoken a single word. Tatsuo had woken, but allowed him to keep control for a while, seeing as the first lesson was going to be Art anyways. The reason Instinct was watching her so closely is due to her silence. Normally, she´d have at least tried to tease Tatsuo out of hiding, pestered Koneko about spending the night in his room, she would´ve basically done _anything_ but stay silent. He knew why, but didn´t talk to her about it, not with the other one right next to them.

If he helped one, the other would get hurt. And in accordance with Akeno´s wishes, he would not trample Koneko´s feelings. So what did he do? He made sure that Akeno did not do anything stupid. Because at this point, who knows what she might do to lessen her pain? He and Tatsuo had taken notice of the men who seemed to stalk her on the train every day, and the way they looked at her. There was no doubt in Instinct´s mind that they would try and take advantage of her.

He needed to fix this as quickly as possible. The next time he was alone with her, he would tell Tatsuo to cut himself off from any outside sensations, and tell her that he would fix her situation. This would need very careful execution. At the moment, the Queen was an emotionally charged, volatile bomb. If he made a single mistake in defusing it, it would blow up in his face, and Tatsuo would never forgive him. That and he might do what he did back then when Instinct felt immense pain, except on an exponentially higher magnitude.

As the train rolled into their station, he grabbed both girls´ hands and led them out, away from the disgusting filth that was eyeing them all the way. Tatsuo raised a figurative eyebrow, but didn´t question Instinct. For all he knew, Instinct was trying to protect them from the would-be molesters, which was kind of _exactly_ what he was doing. So, once they arrived at the front gates, he let go, and told them that he´d see them later. Koneko waved to them before leaving, and before Akeno could do the same, she felt a hand on her back. Instinct whispered very quietly, so quiet in fact, that not even Tatsuo could hear it.

" _We´ll have a talk at lunch. Meet me on the roof."_ He spoke, before leaving, not letting her protest against the order. She was in shock, but closed her mouth. She couldn´t really object, now could she? She had been a horrible bitch yesterday, and it was only fair that the two of them give her a piece of their mind.

She silently trudged over toward the school building, spotting Rias laughing at an unfortunate Issei, who was currently trying to stop Asia from doing anything drastic. She didn´t know the circumstances, but decided to tease him anyway. Hell, it probably was just Asia´s jealous reaction to Rias always sleeping in Issei´s bed.

It would be a good distraction, she thought to herself. As she got closer, she started hearing just what the fuss was all about. It was exactly what she had suspected, unsurprisingly. She crept up on them, slowly, and was about to hug Issei from behind, when she paused. She just couldn´t find it in herself to do it. Sighing, she instead just walked by them, waving to them as she went by.

She looked away so as to not having to see Rias´ worried gaze, and went to class. Rias decided that her friend´s wellbeing took priority over a meaningless squabble, and told Asia that she could join her and Issei at night if she so wished, before turning on her heel, catching up to Akeno quickly. When she tried to start smalltalk, she was ignored. When she inquired about the day before, she was ignored. When she tried to get anything out of her friend, she was ignored. Issei and Asia watched the two as they rounded a corner.

"I wonder what is wrong with Akeno-senpai." Issei said, making Asia nod. There was silence between the two for a moment. "Do you think we should try and ask her what´s wrong?" Asia asked, and Issei nodded. "It might make things worse, but we have to at least try and help. She is technically family, after all, and a good friend." He stated, before a voice in his head interjected.

" **You know, I think I can tell you exactly what is wrong with the girl. However, the cause of her mental state is rather private, and apart from me, I believe that there is only one other person who knows about it, and he is not directly involved in this situation."** Ddraig spoke, the echo of his voice rumbling on long after he finished speaking. How Issei never got a headache from it, the teen would never know. He then told the dragon his opinion.

"In that case, Ddraig, keep quiet about it, at least to me. If the President demands to know, tell her, but keep me in the dark. I don´t want to find out unless Akeno-senpai tells me herself, willingly." He answered, causing the voice to grumble. **"Very well. It is your choice. Though I too believe it to be the better one. Because we are not involved in it directly, we have no justification for meddling. Looks like you are actually a decent fellow, despite your…shortcomings."**

The last comment nearly made Issei cry out in anger. But upon glancing at Asia, who was looking at him curiously, he whispered to the gauntlet to keep the next part private. " _I´m only 15 years old, you stupid lizard. I´m still growing."_ He justified to Ddraig, and mainly himself, that his under average height, muscle mass, and…length of other appendages, in his eyes at least, was perfectly normal.

" **I was referring to your spiritual growth, boy. You read too many of those filthy comics. Those are ridiculous standards to measure yourself by, you know?"** the dragon responded, although the underlying mirth in his voice didn´t exactly help Issei´s self-esteem. Sighing, the boy turned around and just smiled at Asia, who was looking at him worriedly the entire time. He quelled those worries by telling her that the dragon was just making a comment about the weekend, where they would go to the beach. This brightened her mood considerably, and she started talking about how excited she was, as she herself had actually never been on the beach in her life.

He just laughed at how giddy she was as they went along to their classroom. This made her pout a bit, although it didn´t put a dent into her enthusiastic demeanor, and she kept on fantasizing about it, how the water would be clear, how there would be so many fish swimming about…It made Issei question if this girl was actually his age. Although that was part of her adorable charm, he guessed. But there was no way he would get into a relationship with her, even if he was rather infatuated with her.

There were two big deterrents. First off, his parents. So actually, there were three. They saw Asia as their daughter, and it would be unacceptable for them to see the two of them in as boyfriend and girlfriend. Mainly because they didn´t trust him to be in a serious relationship. That, and it was obvious that they valued Asia much more than him as their child.

After all, she was all a parent could wish for in their teenaged kid: studying for exams, being fit, but not obsessed with sports, cooking dinner every so often, worrying about her de-facto brother (aka the aspiring Harem King himself) constantly due to his ineptitude, having a big circle of nice, sociable people, never being really rebellious, doing the laundry, keeping her room cleaned up at all times, and in general, just being an adorable angel, a pure hearted, gentle soul.

Issei, on the other hand, was the complete opposite: he did not care for school, he was only in it because it was an all-girls school until the end of last year, he did not even attempt to keep himself fit, the only thing keeping him from getting overweight were his intense daily right arm workouts **["Don´t remind me of that disgusting act"]** , never trying to help with any kind of housekeeping, not being extremely close to his family in the first place and not even asking questions like "How was your day?", his friends were all like him, incorrigible perverts who were only at school to peek on the girls, he tried to go against every last thing his parents did to/for him, and in general, just being an abrasive idiot, a boy who never even tried to make his parents proud of him.

But while his parents were against him even being around their favorite child due to him possibly "corrupting" her (which, judging how she acted to not "lose" to the President, whatever that meant, might be too late), reason number two was on one hand much more tolerable, but on the other, it was an even bigger deterrent.

For while Tatsuo wanted Asia to be happy, and Issei would gladly have a shot at it, seeing as he did feel _something_ for her, the very same man would never forgive anyone who dared to hurt her in any way. Meaning that if he confessed, and it turned out that the Bishop wanted to keep their relationship as it was, then he was in trouble. For he knew that she was selfless enough to throw away her own wishes to fulfil his desires, and that would only end up hurting her in the long run. And neither he nor Tatsuo wanted that, and judging what he´d heard about Instinct, neither would he.

So in the end, Issei decided that he would not even try. He valued his life, Asia´s wellbeing, and Tatsuo´s trust too much for that. And that last one was already strained due to how his de-facto sister always acted around him. Particularly when she did not want to "lose" to Rias (whatever she was referring to, he still had no idea). So, after he had made the exact same reasoning to himself for what felt like the tenth time, he came to the same conclusion once again: just be the pervert, and fantasize about a world in which you were together with the President. Praise the boobs.

Speaking of the President, she was being a bit too forward for comfort lately. She slept in his bed each night, _naked_ on top of it, and when he asked why, she always giggled and told him that it was a "secret". Which was just fantastic. It made his fantasy go wild as to what it might mean. Could it be love? Or just teasing? Well, his mind was telling him that it was the latter, but his heart? That was telling him that it was actually the former. So, who was in the right?

He had learned that in such scenarios, the mind was generally the safer bet. Middle school was not exactly kind to Issei, and since the saying goes "Once bitten, twice shy", and not "Once bitten, ask for more twice", he had been taught that with girls, it´s much better to be pessimistic. Fantasize all you want, but keep them in your head. For it is absolutely laughable to believe that they return your feelings. Hell, those feelings are probably not even genuine. They are purely based on lust.

Rias and Asia deserve someone way better. As much as Issei hated to admit it, he was thinking of someone like Kiba or Tatsuo. Those two are much more of a man than he could ever hope to be. But he could live with it. If they were happy, he was happy. He would build his harem through the Evil Piece system, like Riser. All he had to do was become stronger as a devil through contracts…of which, in his months as a member of Rias´ peerage, he had gathered a grand total of **ZERO**.

Yeah, that would take a while. He remained optimistic though. He just needed to get the hang of it. He was not exactly a people person, so his social skills were at underground level. If he gained enough experience and levelled up, it would be as easy as peeking!

On the outside, all these thoughts were invisible to the oblivious Asia, who was just happy to be around her crush and was somehow still rambling about the beach as they entered the classroom. She didn´t even pay attention to Issei´s rather absentminded responses, ranging from "Uh huh", to "Uh huh". When she saw her friends, she told him that she´d leave now, and went to her seat.

"Uh huh." He answered to no one, as he went to his desk, and sat down. He put his head in his palm, and sighed, looking out the window. He watched the clouds slowly crawl through the sky. It was relaxing. A few minutes later, his friends came into the room, bruised and beaten, and yet seemingly happy with themselves. They got sneers from the others, and Issei just stared at them in disbelief. Had they not told him about a peeking session? _Inconceivable_. They walked up to him, with a bent back and satisfied expressions. Once they arrived at his desk, Issei spoke up immediately.

"Don´t talk to me. We made a promise that we would always peek together, no matter what happens. And yet, here you are. Looking like me after you would always abandon me at our spot, and yet I was not invited." He spoke, venom in his tone as he continued to stare out the window, taking the boys aback. Then, their expressions turned dark as well.

"Well, you were there with us yesterday, and were the only one who was rescued! Just what was with that, huh?!" The taller one, Matsuda, answered, his face showing nothing but contempt. Before Issei could retaliate, the one with glasses, Motohama, slammed his hands on the brunette´s desk.

"Exactly! Not only that, but you are in daily contact with Asia-san, Koneko-chan, and the two Goddesses! So don´t complain, you traitor!" he yelled, though Issei snorted in return and mumbled something beneath his breath. "What was that, Issei?!"

The devil turned, and his eyes were narrowed dangerously. "You know nothing. I did not exactly have a choice, whether or not I liked the outcome of said decision." He responded, effectively shutting the other two up. He sighed, and forced a smile to try and ease the tension. As pathetic as they were, they were friends. They should be pathetic together. "Listen, I´m sorry. I shouldn't be angry with you guys. After all, we feel the same. No, we _are_ the same."

 **[Good joke, kid.]** _"Shut up, dragon."_

After he finished, his friends looked at each other, and then at him again. "You know, we´ve been having doubts about that for a while now. Sure, you´re as perverted as ever, and yet, ever since you joined the Occult Research Club, you´ve changed. You never hang out with us, and when you do, you´re always spacing out. And when you are our meat shiel – er, when you get caught peeking, you never come back with any meaningful injuries." Matsuda stated, making Issei gulp. That might be because of his new standing as a devil, and the feelings he still needed to deal with/figure out towards the members of the Club **[Mainly the nun and the redhead. Cos let´s be honest, you´re not M, and that kid will rip your balls off.]**.

"Not only that, but one time, you disappeared for ten days without a trace, we could not reach you, and when you came back, you were ripped. I mean, seriously, with these, you could have anyone here if it was not for your reputation. Just what happened?" Motohama added, putting more pressure on the Pawn, whose palms began to feel a bit moist.

Finally, he sighed, and stared at his hand, specifically the one in which his Sacred Gear was hidden. "One day, I´ll tell you, my brothers. One day, when I´m ready. Because I have too much on my plate right now. Also, I need to ask the President…" he answered, and the other two decided to not press further, and went to their seats, ignoring the weird looks they received. Issei went back to staring out the window, grateful to the Majestic Deities that they gave him the brains to avoid further arguments with his friends. He held them much too dear for that (even if they abandoned him nearly every time they peeked).

A second later, their homeroom teacher entered, and class began. He didn´t pay attention, seeing as the teacher hated him, and he hated the teacher, and thus they silently agreed that in turn for Issei´s lack of involvement in the lesson, the teacher may hand him out any grade he so wished, specifically, a flat zero, every time. How Issei was still in this prestigious school, the teacher would never know. Definitely because of Rias, no question about it.

In the end, the Pawn just kept quiet and slept, as usual. At the end of the lesson, he was woken by an angrily pouting Asia, who scolded him for not paying attention, as usual. He just murmured something along the lines of an apology, and looked at the clock. Darn. He had missed half the break between lessons. Not that it mattered, anyways. He wasn´t a smart one like the others. He was only good at smashing things, and even in that regard, he was trumped by everyone else, save for his cute stepsister in front of him.

He yawned, and stood up. That´s right. After Japanese Literature came sports. Meaning that his friends had left to peek without him. Again. He understood, though. Nothing was more important to them than the admiration of the female beauty. There would be no time to waste. He told Asia that he would get some coffee to keep him awake, and she agreed, saying that he needed it so as to not fail in his new favorite subject. After babying him again as she usually did, she left, telling him to hurry up.

He watched as she cheerfully took off. He grabbed his bag, and got out his wallet. There was just enough for a can of coffee. He briskly walked over to the ground floor, and went to the vending machine. As he sipped the coffee, he shuddered. It was just warm enough that it tasted disgusting, just below room temperature. He decided to speed up the process and gulped down the whole thing in one go once his gaze hit the clock.

As he ran over to the changing room of the boys, he saw something in his peripheral vision. He didn´t have time to double check, but that wasn´t necessary. He was quite certain that he saw Akeno leave the school with her bag and all. The reason he wanted to check again was the torn expression on her face.

 **Surprise, masafaka! It was him, Issei! Seriously though, it feels like ages since I properly addressed Issei´s relationships, so here we are. You all know where this will go, so I won´t rant too much.**

 **Except here I go.**

 **This chapter took** _ **very**_ **long to write. I honestly don´t know why. I guess I´m just not in the mood. I will continue to update, but don´t expect the updates to come out any faster than they are right now. I´ll try to update as frequently as possible. But at the moment, I just lack inspiration (as much as I hate that word, as I think it makes me sound like an arrogant prick) and motivation to type. I´ll have to reorganize my plans and rewatch Highschool DxD and read the earlier chapters again before I can write properly.**

 **BUT DO NOT THINK THAT THIS FIC IS DEAD!**

 **This is just a phase (I hope), and always keep in mind: I will finish this. I promise that. And I keep my promises.**

 **Whew, after that depressing AN at the end, I guess this is the part where I ask for reviews. Please. I have an addiction. And reviews would technically make it worse, so…ignore that fact and type. Right in the box that arrow is pointing at. ▼**


	34. Chapter 34

**Sup bitchez, I´m back!**

… **I need a more creative intro at this point.**

 **So yeah, welcome back! It took me a while, but I finally found some ways to continue the story. It only took me like two weeks of rereading the wiki about season two and the characters, but hey, now the (mis)adventures of Tatsuo and the gang can continue! So, I´ll say this right away, this chapter has a tiny timeskip from the last. Think a few hours. And we´ll be getting the arc of a certain devil over with now. Because oh boy, this will be good. Mainly because I´m changing the canon in two major ways in this chapter. Fapp - , er, fans of the show, who´ve seen season two, will know what has changed. Anyways, to the reviews!**

 **ultima-owner: Not necessarily in the morning. Could be in the bathtub. Or in the evening. Or he wakes up at night, takes off the sheets and does it right then and there. Because judging by the end of episode 1, that´s what I would do. And then she would be disgusted and never come back again. And I wonder why I don´t have a girlfriend. Where was I? Ah yes, the dragon. The question is, is the Sacred Gear on Issei´s dominant hand? Then the dragon is really unlucky.**

 **Anyways, with all that out the way, one last thing: check this sweet baby out! Made it myself in Gimp. What, you don´t know what I´m talking about? Why, it´s simple! The cover! Used to look better, but the Image manager is a bitch, so…ACTION!**

Tatsuo and Instinct shared a strong worry, albeit with the difference that alongside his worry, Instinct felt complete rage at the fact that Akeno had disappeared without a trace. School was over, and after he was done with the kendo club, which he could now actually help with because of the all-nighter he pulled, Rias came to them to ask whether they´d seen the Queen. She didn´t answer any calls, and when Rias went to her place, Akeno was nowhere to be found. Suffice to say, after the Queen´s depressed expression in the morning, the King couldn´t help but worry about her friend.

As it turned out, the last one to have seen her was Issei, and he reported that she left the school way before lunch. That would explain why she never showed up for the meeting he demanded she come to. So now, in the middle of the week, where Tatsuo and Instinct needed every ounce of sleep they could get their hands on, they were out looking for their friend/charge (for Instinct, anyways). He gave his other half full control, because as much as he wanted to help, he had been up for 24-ish hours now.

Last night, he worked and kept watch over Koneko as she and Tatsuo slept together (not in that way), and ever since, he had been on his toes to try and manoeuvre the dense teacher through this crisis. It´s not like he would be much help anyways. He briefly thought of Levia-tan, and started feeling sick and heartache at the same time. He had promised to protect Akeno, and on the very same day, he had failed her. He had no doubt in his mind that she had run off from him and Tatsuo. He also had little doubt that someone did not try and take advantage of her at this point. _"Heh. So much for that date…"_ He thought to himself as he drifted into unconsciousness.

Tatsuo, on the other hand, was feverishly searching the area around every station the Queen would have taken on her way to her home. He searched in the shopping district, the bench of the river that flowed through Kuoh, and he even searched the area around the football stadium, as unlikely as she was to be there. In the end, his efforts were for naught, the search fruitless. It was getting late.

He texted Rias about the results, and, kicking himself for failing as he walked along, he returned to his apartment. On the train, he thought about why she would possibly run off like that. Had it something to do with what Instinct did in the morning, while he was told to not listen? No, that couldn´t be it. She was depressed before even that, when they were on the train. What had happened? According to Instinct, she apologized to Koneko, so obviously Tatsuo wouldn´t hold a grudge about that, and honestly, he doubted that she bullied her Kohai at all. She was a good person at heart, and apart from her sadistic tendencies and the teasing, she wouldn´t try to hurt anyone.

…okay, saying that she was sadistic kind of ruined the whole ´wouldn´t harm a fly´ thing. And he knew that she was only nice to people whom she liked. Those that she didn´t, well, those were probably her enemies for some reason or other and she would show no mercy to them. He didn´t have any problem with that, though. You gotta do what you have to.

In the meantime, he´d gotten back home, and took off his shoes. He hadn´t seen his landlord, but he rarely did. He only saw her once in a while when she swept the entry to the building, or was chewing out his roommate. And besides, while they got along, he wasn´t really all that affected by it. Sure, he would miss her when she was gone, but she wasn´t as important a friend to him as Akeno, Koneko, or the angel on Earth that was Asia.

He might have a severe case of the Griselda complex. Praise the intellectual bookshelf for having psychology-related books on it. So anyways, he strode into his apartment, and decided to go his room. While he would prefer to go outside in all of his waking hours to look for his friend, he had his work to do, and as disgusted as he was at himself that he actually worked instead of being out there, there was nothing he could do right now. He had no leads as to where to look. So into his room he went, and sat down at the desk. Looking out the window, he noticed just how dark it had become. The clock told him that it was 11:37 PM.

As in literally told him. The clock was a statue of the Thinker, which had a small switch on its neck that, when pressed, makes him tell you the time, in a very monotone and sure voice: "I think it´s 11:37 PM." Weirdly enough, the clock was three hours behind when he tested it first, after he got the package from Sirzechs. That or it was nine hours fast. The guy really likes sending him weird and wonderful stuff he finds in this world for some reason.

Anyways, Tatsuo then went to work, brainstorming ideas for the Art and PE lessons he´d give tomorrow. He mainly got his ideas from the intellectual shelf. Once again, praised be that wondrous piece of wood. He worked his ass off until around 1 AM. At that point, he could barely keep his eyes open, and he finally wrapped up his work, and he turned off the light, staggering toward his bed after standing up. As his head hit the pillow, the face of Akeno flashed through his mind. He tried to think of people that might know where she was. No one came to mind.

What would Issei do in this situation?

…bad example. What would Asia do?

Well, if he were to ask Asia, she would probably tell him to pray for help from God. When she told him the first time about prayers, which was back when they trained, at dinner, when she clasped her hands together for some reason, and muttered something beneath her breath, he did not know what was happening. So when he asked her what she was doing, she gave him an enthusiastic explanation of the principal of prayers, and when he asked her what a God was supposed to be, she recited the whole Bible, in less than ten minutes, too. So that was fun. After that, he wrote it off as a bunch of bogus. After all, if God really did exist, would he let misery befall Tatsuo´s favourite devil/figurative daughter/angel on Earth? God loves all, doesn´t he?

But because he had no clue where to look for the Queen, for once, he thought to give this whole ´faith´ thing a go. Closing his eyes, he envisioned a white light. He spoke that he wished to know where his friend was. He wanted help. He needed help. He had no one else to turn to. God holds all the answers, right? So he asked for her safety. He asked for help in finding her. He asked for help in helping her regain her smile. God is kind, right?

…he got no answers. The light got a little less bright, and he sighed. As if he would get an answer. All this did was make him feel more helpless. He was asking fiction crafted from humanity´s hopelessness. As if it even could answer. He could only rely on himself, his friends, and to a certain extent, Instinct.

Suddenly, the light got much brighter.

" _My child."_

What.

" _I cannot tell you where the girl you seek is. Her presence is obscured."_

Was God actually…real?

" _However, I can tell you two things: she is in grave danger. You must hurry if you want to save her. Rest for now, my son. Ask the elder in the bottom floor in the morning. She will be able to help."_

He nearly cried out, wanting this being to stay. He had so many questions!

" _Know this, my child. We shall meet soon."_

And with that, Tatsuo´s eyes flew open, and he pushed himself up, panting heavily. He looked around his room, the armour beneath his suit shining a bright blue. There was no one there. He held his head. A weight seemed to have been lifted from it, but he couldn't remember for the life of him if there ever was any to begin with. He would´ve asked Instinct, but the channel they communicated through felt empty on the other end, meaning he was asleep. Ergo, he must´ve imagined that weight, as his ´other half´ would have taken notice. Sighing, he lied back down. He was too tired right now. He closed his eyes, and immediately fell asleep, against the fact that he had a thousand and one thoughts swirling through his head.

He awoke way before his alarm should ring, yet for some reason felt refreshed and raring to go. He jumped out of bed, and put on his suit. He pushed his door open and made himself some toast. He heard his roommate snore in her room. He wondered just how long she had been sleeping. She had called him multiple times when he was out looking, presumably because of dinner, but at some point, she stopped. He would explain the situation to her at a later point. Right now, he had to see whether the voice in his head was right.

Once he was done, he cleaned up and left the apartment, making sure to close the door as quietly as possible. He checked his watch. He had more than enough time to ask Kaiya about what that voice was talking about. Speaking of, was that really God? Because Asia also told him that while she prayed every day, God never answered. So, was this a ploy by Instinct? Because Tatsuo still didn´t fully trust him, even though he has no acted to harm anyone so far.

Excluding the incident in the Rating Game, but he was not awake for that. So he walked down the stairs, brooding over this, until he realized that Instinct would probably not know if Kaiya was involved in some way. If that were the case, he would have noticed her involvement as well. So was the voice truly God? He decided to focus on the more important issue at hand, and knocked on his landlord´s door. For a minute, there was no response. For some reason, he thought to try opening the door. He had a weird feeling in his gut.

It opened without resistance, and he was immediately hit with a cloud of stench. He coughed as the odour flowed out from the apartment and right into his nose. He tried to fan it away, but it was no use. He stepped away from the entryway, and, taking a deep breath, he charged inside. Once he was inside, he took note of just how dark it was. Searching desperately for a window, his gaze scanned every last inch. The layout was identical to his apartment, so he was in the living room right now. So the window had to be…to his right.

His hand shot forward, and he felt glass. With quick reflexes, he opened the window and the shutters. Fresh, cold air entered through the opening, and he felt the light of dawn on his skin. Finally, he let out the breath he´d been holding, and sighed in relief after he took another long, invigorating breath of fresh, delicious, pure, cleansing air. After the stench had subsided, he looked around the room. It was utter chaos. The table was broken, as was the TV. The whole place seemed to have been ransacked. He was amazed that he managed to avoid every last bit of that in the dark.

Tatsuo then took note of some groaning that came from the kitchen. With quick steps around the debris, he went toward it. What he found took him aback. Kaiya was holding her head, her eyes shut, surrounded by tons of bottles of alcohol of many different varieties. Sake, vodka, wine, whisky, it was all there. Some bottles were not even empty, their contents spilling onto the floor. So this is what caused the apartment to stink so much. He walked over to her, and lightly shook her. She groaned again.

After a few more attempts, she finally got up. She seemed to be in a haze as she looked around the apartment. A few minutes later, when she seemed to regain her wits, she looked down at the table in front of her, her expression betraying her depression. She turned to look at Tatsuo, and told him to remain quiet for a minute. She needed to collect herself first. After a good five minutes, she sighed.

"The girl has been kidnapped." Tatsuo´s eyes widened. He hoped to have misheard the lady in front of him, but he knew he didn´t.

"The bastards were stalking her for quite some time. They were waiting for someone vulnerable to enter her life. Someone like me. They got me first, and well, you see what happened yourself." She said, pointing at the destroyed living room. His rage grew with every word she spoke. Who was enough of a monster to attack an old lady just to..:!

"With me as a bargaining chip, they managed to get her to turn herself over willingly. I couldn´t even see her. I was blindfolded the whole time. But I heard her speak. She was in pain. She has a death wish, Tatsuo-kun. You must make haste." She spoke, before detailing where she believed the kidnappers to be. She got out a map, on which she had drawn a circle around a certain quarter in the city. He hadn´t looked in that area, actually. When he asked her how she knew precisely that, she had a small, dry chuckle to herself.

"That, Tatsuo-kun, comes with experience. I might tell you the story one day, but now is not the time. You must hurry!" And with that, she gave him a punch to the gut, urging him to go. He looked at her worriedly, wondering what the assholes had done to her, but she assured him that she was fine. Nodding, he left, but asked her to call an ambulance, just in case. Kaiya just laughed. "Just how frail do you think I am? Go!" Finally, after that order, he took off, and closed the door, calling the school to tell them that he was ´sick´. After the door was shut, Kaiya just looked around her apartment, and sighed.

"Guess I should clean this up. Trust me, I would love to help out, Tatsuo-kun. But in the end, I am only human. I´m way past my prime." She said, before holding her head again. "Though I guess all of this was a mistake." She muttered to herself, looking at the bottles before wondering whether she had any Aspirin left. She thought about going to bed, as she felt rather tired. But something stopped her. She looked at the back of her hand, where a small, star-shaped tattoo was nearly completely faded, before following her body´s advice and heading to her bedroom.

In the meantime, Tatsuo had woken up Instinct and informed him of the situation, and made him call Rias to get her up to date. Needless to say, once the devil heard that he had a lead in the form of a map, she demanded to see it. Seconds after she received a picture did she call back and, sounding hysterical, asked the two to go ahead and wait in the largest square in that area as she would go and round up the others, as she had a very good idea as to Akeno´s whereabouts.

As a teacher, he was slightly miffed about his students missing lessons AND the fact that he had to wait at all for them, but shook it off, and agreed to follow her orders, since he alone was less likely to find Akeno than if the others helped, especially if the King knew where she was being held. So, at around 7 AM, he was in said square, sitting on a bench, cracking his knuckles with a scary expression as he thought about what torture he would put the kidnappers through. Instinct was rather helpful in this regard. Ancient China had nothing on him.

Death by a thousand cuts? Try ten thousand to every last organ, making them as thin and deep as possible to ensure minimal blood loss, which would result in a death by pain. Or blood loss. Because ten thousand cuts, even if they´re deep and thin didn´t do much to prevent it.

Planting some sharpened Bamboo below the victim and let it pierce them as it grew? Try that, but with more shoots, which were only sharpened to a small degree to enable better piercing, then use the devils´ magic to make it rotate to put the rougher end to good use.

Flaying, aka cutting off the skin of the victim before letting them bleed out? Try taking off the skin bit by bit to ensure that the victim did not die of blood loss, and then throwing them into a cage filled with maggots.

By the time the others showed up, Tatsuo felt like he wanted to vomit. When they asked him why he looked so sick, his tapping against his forehead was enough to answer the question. They knew how brutal Instinct was. They ignored it for now, and turned to Rias, who told them to follow. They obviously didn´t use magic as it would only attract attention, and the fact that Akeno´s signature was nowhere to be felt meant that there was a barrier around the place.

She led them far from the square and along a street that led up a big hill. Finally, after a good half hour of walking, so as not to exhaust themselves for the battle, they arrived at a large manor, which had the style of a nobleman´s house in feudal times. Suffice to say, it had a large wall around it, with a steel gate blocking the entry. The expanse of said wall was huge. It must have encompassed at least five times the diameter of the actual mansion, meaning that their garden is bigger than the trackfield at school!

Rias didn´t bother ringing the bell, and fired her magic at the gate, completely wrecking it. Because the house was so isolated, she could do so without worry of being seen by a passer-by. "Come on." She declared as she walked through the ruined wall, and after breaking out of their stupor, the others followed. Before he stepped through the debris, Tatsuo briefly spotted something rather disturbing. The name of the manor´s owner was Himejima. That was Akeno´s last name. Just what the hell was going on? Why were they breaking into her family´s home.

Security guards came for them, but the devils dispatched them effortlessly as they continued forward. Tatsuo stood at the back, filling the role of the rear guard. Thankfully, that was unnecessary, as the security seemed to underestimate the group because of their age, leading to a frighteningly easy advance. As highly trained as they might´ve been, a regular human cannot really stand up to devils with the benefits of the Evil Pieces. Heck, Koneko could´ve taken all of them down on her own if need be.

After a few minutes, they had fought their way to the front door of the mansion, and Rias did the same thing as with the gate, destroying the beautiful piece of architecture, but no one cared. What was history worth if compared to a dear friend? They continued their march forward, and after they entered the manor, the guards appeared to thin out, only appearing in packs of three or more, and even then, they only attacked every minute or two, giving the devils and cohort ample time to recover from each skirmish.

As they moved toward the central chamber, Rias picked up on Akeno´s presence. She definitely was being kept here. What was far more disturbing was the other presence, a powerful, overbearing one. Stronger than anyone in her peerage including herself, without a doubt. She gulped nervously, and informed her servants and Tatsuo of the situation. The atmosphere got all the more tense after that, however, Instinct seemed to be as jolly as ever, throwing out more ideas for punishing these bastards, apparently without worry about this powerful foe. Tatsuo didn´t share this carelessness, and let his gaze dart through every corner, every corridor, and every door they came across to make sure the enemy didn´t sneak up on them.

He would not be caught off guard. There were few guards that attacked from the rear, so he had more than enough time to check every inch of the house. Whatever it was that was ahead, it would surely be at least as strong, if not stronger, than Riser. At least, that is what Rias had implied. And while Instinct could take a magic inferno from said man straight to the face with nary a scratch according to Instinct himself, Tatsuo didn´t believe that to be true. His body may possess ridiculous regenerative capabilities, but fire had to burn away at his cells.

He was still organic, to a certain degree, anyways. He could breathe in space, so he must have some sort of cybernetic augmentation, but he was never told in the Hive, so he never asked. So, after walking through the corridors for a good while, they finally got close to the central chamber, where Rias could feel Akeno´s magic signature. And the worst case scenario had come true; the terrifying presence was in there as well.

They had no choice. She waved over for Tatsuo to come to the front. "Listen. From what I can tell, who or whatever is exuding this aura is far more powerful than any of us. I´m afraid that you´re the only one we can trust to take the front line. Just distract them for long enough that we can get Akeno out of here. Then we can retreat together, alright?" He agreed to the plan, and asked if there was any way he could get his weapons back. Unfortunately, Rias shook her head.

Instinct piped up again, this time with a serious tone. _"Listen, dude, if you can´t handle whatever is behind that door, just let me out. I don´t need weapons to smack a bitch."_ Well, that solved the problem. Hopefully. He repeated what he´d been told, and Rias sighed. She really didn´t want to have to rely on the being that was trying to kill her beloved Pawn, but if push came to shove, she would live with it. No use in putting her pride before her friends. She let Tatsuo go first, and after taking a deep breath, he kicked open the door. On the other side there were three people.

Akeno was suspended from the ceiling with a rope tied around her wrists and was stripped down to her bare skin. She had bruises everywhere, and her body was completely blue at this point. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth. In front of her stood a tall man, wearing a black suit with a red shirt. Scratch that. It was originally white judging from the few white spots left, and it was stained red with Akeno´s blood.

That was not what anyone paid attention to, however. A staff in hand, not unlike that of a shepherd, clad in a white tunic, a whip on his belt, wearing golden jewellery around the neck and wrists, floating above the ground, was a person with wings, around four to be exact. The feathers were whiter than snow, more pure than even water. He had a golden light surrounding his figure, which illuminated the whole room. Slowly, he turned his head.

"Hm. It looks like there are more sinners that wish to repent."

 **And there we go. Can you guess who the enemy is? Let´s make a game out of it, shall we? Guess the name of this angel. If you get it right, then…I dunno. You get to choose if I write lemons, I guess. Yeah, let´s do that.**

 **Whoever guesses the name of the angel gets to pick for whom I write lemons!**

 **Anyways, review plz, my addiction got worse. Nothing much to say, really. Bye!**


	35. Chapter 35

**For dozens of hours, I lay dormant. Who dares disturb my…!**

 **Oh, it´s you guys. Yeah, yeah, the next chapter´s finished, I´ll just quickly answer the reviews and get on with it, I have other stuff to do, you know. Like making out with my imaginary body pillow. Because imaginary girlfriends have the tendency to stab me. A lot.**

 **ultima-owner: HA! Good joke! "The angel makes it out alive", that´s the funniest thing I´ve read today, and I just got finished reading the news about Monsieur le Président Trump.**

 **Goldenclaw: Okay, so you may not know this, but Gabriel is in the DxD canon. Only problem is, it´s a she. And she got added to Issei´s harem. It´s not in the anime (I think), so I only found out by reading the wiki. Weird shit happens later on, trust me. Might cut the story before it reaches that point, though. One crazy author is enough, don´t need the canon to go bonkers too. Also, good guess on that last part. Need to step up my veiling of the plot.**

 **RdBurningDragon: Judging by your Wright-ish shout, I assume you got the reference, so in the spirit of the greatest lawyer to ever not live:**

 _ **OBJECTION!**_

 **Well, that was nostalgic. Played the hell out of those games back in the day. Also, Prometheus was, as far as Wikipedia(and my knowledge of mythology) goes, the guy who moulded man out of clay and gave them fire, which was property of the Gods. Problem is, that was in greek mythology, and he was a Titan. And while he was a naked guy without a dick, he didn´t eat people. He was eaten by a vulture though. Then he regenerated. And got eaten again. Etc, etc.**

 **So basically, since no one managed to guess the name, the one deciding the lemons is...Issei. Hold on, that´s not right. It should be me on here! Why - somebody gut that piece of shit!**

 **Anyways, my body pillow is waiting, so I´ll be off. Enjoy yourselves!**

Tatsuo just stared at the scene in shock. The being floating there looked like the Song to a ridiculous extent. The others were equally surprised, being unable to move. After all, they would have never expected to see an actual angel here. Just why was this guy here, and more importantly, what the hell did he do to Akeno?! The guy in the suit turned around, and scoffed. "These are mere pests, Lord Kushiel. Do not bother with them. They are only here to save this wretched sinner." He spoke, making the group´s blood boil. He had no right to call her a sinner, after all he´d done!

The angel had a small chuckle to himself, and stared at them. "You underestimate devils, Suou. They may look like children, but they are every bit as depraved as this affront to life. And they are a force to be reckoned with. Well, if they were a bit more mature that is." The now revealed Kushiel spoke, smacking Akeno´s face with the staff, making more blood spill from her mouth. The devils were getting furious. Akeno? An affront to life? Was living the sin they were punishing her for?! Thank goodness she was unconscious so she couldn´t hear this garbage, indicated by her not making any noise as she was hit. Or perhaps she already was…

The mere thought enraged the teacher to a larger degree than ever before. He threw off his suit, revealing his armour, which was shining a bright orange, and tossed it aside together with his shirt beneath. He charged forward, fist reared back to deliver a devastating punch to the angel. The angel dodged to the side, avoiding the attack with graceful, dancer-like movements. The punch nearly hit his beloved friend, but Tatsuo was prepared for the enemy to evade him, and with one quick move, ripped the rope in two, and picked Akeno out of the air so she didn´t hit the floor, before turning on his heel and dashing back to the devils. He covered her with his jacket and shirt, before turning around to face the enemy. Asia went straight to healing, and the others got into position too.

"Kushiel, you made three grave mistakes." Rias spoke, making the angel raise an eyebrow. "First, you entered our territory without permission, violating the truce our kind made so long ago. Second, you kidnapped my servant and tortured her. Third, you reason for doing so was because she is an ´affront to life´?! Don´t screw with me! You will die right here, right now!" She cried, sending out three big blasts of pure destruction his way. He didn´t make any attempt to dodge, instead choosing to simply float and smile. Right as her spell was about to hit, Shuou intervened by jumping in front of the target, seemingly magnetically soaking her spells into his hand.

A second later, his body trembled, spraying some blood from his pores onto the ground as the magic ravaged his insides, making him scream in pain, his mouth oozing blood. Everyone took a step back. Why would a mere human be able to take that kind of attack and survive, and which kind of idiot would do such a thing?! Issei came to mind, but they didn´t say it out loud as they observed their foe´s lips, soaked with blood, curl up into a grin. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

With that, he charged forward, his hand held high. Kiba caught a glance of his fingers, which were glowing an ever so slight hue of blue. "Dodge!" he yelled, and without thinking, everyone complied, though Koneko took the time to grab Akeno before rolling out of his way. With predatory eyes, he realized who the weakest/slowest among them was, and, his grin widening, Suou made a leap for Asia, who cried out in surprise as his hand nearly touched her face.

"Don´t touch her, you bastard!" Issei shouted, jumping in front of her, the hand hitting him right in the chest, though there was no force behind it whatsoever. For a second, nothing happened. Issei blinked, and started laughing. "What, was that all? I can throw better punches than that! **BOOST!** " His fist reared back, he went to hit Suou. Something was off, though, as the asshole made no attempt to block or dodge, and had his arms crossed as the Sacred Gear got closer and closer to him. Issei learned why in the very next second.

All of a sudden, where he was touched, everything exploded, sending him flying into the wall. Pain. So much pain. It felt like he had been ripped apart at the atomic level in his chest. He heard Asia cry out and nearly gave in to the darkness immediately. But he refused. He may be a pervert, he may be weak, but he _would not just faint in every battle they fought!_ **He had the power of a fucking dragon, for hell´s sake!** So, with barely any strength left, he tried to stand up, his vision completely dark.

It was illuminated by a green light soon enough, and he felt his wounds close. As his vision cleared up, Asia came into his view, and he thanked her as he stood up. He patted her on the head, and told her to go treat Akeno. However, his wounds naturally didn´t heal that quickly, and although Asia knew that, she nodded, and returned to their fallen comrade, as much as it hurt her to leave her crush wounded. Naturally, the Pawn was still feeling immense pain in his chest as he walked back to the battle. It felt like something had eaten a part of him, and that while it was sated and would stop eating him, it would not let him forget what it had already devoured, taking it´s place instead. Like a giant worm that burrowed into your skin, made it´s nest there, and just ate your flesh, growing bigger and bigger, bloating more and more until you had a huge bump in your skin. The thought made him shiver as he glared at Suou. "You have a Sacred Gear too, don´tcha?"

"Why yes, you filthy mongrel. You would be right. The name of this truly Sacred Gear is **Sacrificial Repentance**. To put it simply, you´re dead." The man answered, before leaping toward Issei again, his hand raised. Issei rolled out the way, making his opponent have to slow down to regain his footing. In that moment, Koneko and Kiba attacked in tandem, with the Rook sweeping his legs off the ground and the Knight ready to chop his head off with a single swing.

The Knight was on guard, though, as even though the grin had vanished from Shuou´s face, he was still incredibly dangerous, as seen once he recovered and stopped the sword from hitting him by holding out his arms. Suffice to say, the sword cut deep into his flesh, and his screams echoed through the room, making cold shivers travel down their backs, especially Asia´s, because she hated any kind of suffering, no matter how terrible of an act the one feeling it had commited. Her pity was misplaced, though, as Suou might have been in pain, but he was certainly not unhappy about it. "More, MORE! Punch me, cut me, break my bones! _And repent!_ " With that, his hand latched onto Kiba´s leg right as the man hit the ground, and although the boy shook him off and jumped a fair distance away, close to Rias and Asia, but once he landed, his leg exploded, the bloody flesh flying through the whole room, hitting the walls, the ground, and some hit the girls, colouring their clothes and skin a deep crimson. He screamed in pain, and fell to the ground, holding his leg, which was reduced to nothing but bone.

Koneko had no reprieve, however, and was kept on her toes as the man tried to grab hold of her in any way possible. Her experience in melee combat really helped her out as she ducked, dove, and stepped through most of his lunges. She didn´t try to attack him as, judging by her fellow devils´ experience, that ended in heavy injury. It was imperative that they analyse his powers. All they knew was this: if he touched you, you were a goner.

Issei, feeling useless as he stared at the Rook fighting, turned to look at the angel. Of course, Tatsuo had already engaged him, and seemingly matched Kushiel in terms of skill. The winged bastard was using his whip instead of his staff, which he had placed on his back, and on top of that, it was on fire somehow. Perhaps Asia could show them a verse of the Bible detailing that later – oh yeah. They were devils. They couldn´t read it without a heavy headache. Nevertheless, Tatsuo held his own against the higher being, as he either evaded the whip or blocked it with one arm to get in a quick hit himself. Essentially, they were at a stalemate. Without his sword and gun, it appeared that this battle would never be decided. Issei thought about jumping in to help him, but realized he´d just hold his teacher back. He was no match for an angel, even with the Boosted Gear.

Wait, that´s right! He **BOOSTED** a few times, his eyes still on the fight, and around half a minute later, in which nothing had happened on both ends, he released all of his pent up energy in one go. A red orb flew toward Tatsuo, who, once hit, was surrounded by a red aura. He glanced at the Pawn, and realized what had happened, as Issei screamed for him to get going and kick the angel´s ass. He would happily oblige. And with that in mind, he went back to hitting the angel, though, with all this power he now had, he was much faster and stronger, allowing him to dominate his opponent.

Sighing in relief, Issei turned to look at Asia, who was desperately trying to heal Kiba, as he was in far worse condition, and they needed every last one of them to win. As the wound was still open, he took note of the fact that Kiba´s flesh had been blown up, but the bone was mostly intact, save for one, thick slash right in the middle. In fact, he couldn´t stand watching this, and wondered how Asia could bear it. But that was not important. What was important, was his observation of the cut on the bone. He had figured out the bastard´s Sacred Gear. Turning back to Koneko, who was being driven into a corner, he yelled.

"Koneko-chan! Whatever you do, do not attack him! The wounds on his body are inflicted onto us once his hand touches us!" He yelled, making the girl pause for a second. That was more than enough time for Shuou to smash his palm into her face. For a second, everything seemed to stop. Issei raised his hand, charging forward, Rias called out to him, telling him to charge recklessly, Kiba´s and Asia´s eyes widened as they lifted their heads to look at the ongoing battle, Koneko shook in fear, Tatsuo was hit by a whiplash as his **BOOST** ran out and his eyes turned just in time to see Shuou grin maliciously.

" **He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."**

And with that, the Rook was ravaged by destruction spells, the slashes of a Knight, and the shame of having let her guard down. He held her up by the head for a few more seconds, then let her crumble to the ground. Her face had no more skin. She was bleeding all over the ground, covering the place where her face used to be with her hands, blood flowing through them, and screaming in mind numbing, unbearable pain. Issei was still charging at the enemy with a loud battlecry.

" _You stupid son of a bitch! I´ll fucking kill you!"_ He yelled with all his might, the Boosted Gear going absolutely nuts as it **BOOSTED** him many times per second, until he was stood right in front of Shuou, who just stuck out his hand, wanting to end the devil for good. What he did not see coming, was the spell that hit his hand first, as it was an attractor for any kind of magic. He glanced at Rias, who had fired a massive orb of destruction right at him, enough to tear any regular mortal apart in less than a second with the scariest expression she´d ever worn, making Shuou nearly have a heart attack. Good thing his Sacred Gear gave him enhanced resilience on the level of a weak angel, otherwise he might´ve been fucked, so he remained calm. He turned his attention back to Issei, and the man grinned again. Another one bites the dust. Or so he thought.

The Boosted Gear stopped inches away from his palm, and a red orb exited from it, hitting the spell, which had not yet fully dissipated head on. Once the energy did dissipate, Shuou blinked. The pain from the magic was gone. In fact, his body felt great. He could do anything with this boosted power!

"It seems that you have finally realized your sins. You gave me the power to destroy you yourself, devil. You did well. Now, repent, and I shall forgive your sins..." He spoke, lifting his hand to place it on Issei´s head to end his sinful life. Only he found it quite difficult to do. A quick look at his arm revealed why. It was consumed by destruction. His jaw slacked. "W-what is this?!" he asked loudly, shaking as the crimson magic crawled up his arm, causing him to scream. The pain was too great. What the hell had just happened?!

Issei, with his eyes covered by his hair, swept away the man´s legs, making him fall to the ground in his pitiful state. "Your Sacred Gear is admirable, in a way." He spoke, a grave tone lining his voice. The man looked up, and saw only hate in those cold eyes. "You take our hits head on, and only dish out what you take. If you used it only to protect others, you might actually be able to call yourself someone who makes sinners repent, but you use it to attack others. You´re no different to those that you should be punishing. You might be able to take our attacks and use them to your advantage, but the magic I just boosted belongs to the President. And I can make that magic grow, and go volatile. To put it simply, you´re dead. In a few minutes, anyways." And with that, he kicked the man into the wall, ignoring his pain- and fear-filled screeches as he went over to Koneko, who was still crying out in immense pain, and picked her up.

He carried her over to the others, and placed her down next to Asia, who just got done with treating Kiba´s wounds enough for him to walk, and immediately got to work on Koneko. Her tears showed the others her emotions, and she suffered silently as she had Issei pry away the smaller girl´s hands, so she could be treated as well. Koneko struggled like there was no tomorrow, screaming and kicking due to her pain, but Issei held strong, and after **BOOSTING** himself a few times, he managed to keep her down long enough for Rias to place the girl´s head on her lap, staining her skirt with blood, and after she whispered a few calming words to her Rook, the girl stopped struggling, though the unbearable pain was visible in her shaking violently.

But although Rias shook as well, hers was a tremble of pure, unadulterated fury. They may have avenged Koneko, but this would leave a scar on her face for the rest of her life, Twilight Healing or not. And so, after a while, the devils took note of Koneko´s whimpering. Her skin was growing back, and with it came her tears. They couldn´t imagine her suffering. As time went on, Kiba asked a simple, yet important question.

"Say, does anyone know where Sensei went?" And a quick look around the room made them worry about him as well, excluding Asia and Koneko, who were preoccupied with the healing process. There were holes in every wall, the floor was scorched, presumably by the fiery whip, and how the manor had not collapsed, they would never know. How they had forgotten to watch their deadliest foe was beyond them as well, but he was nowhere to be heard or seen. But he was still close, Rias felt as much.

Soon after, another hole opened in the one that wasn´t broken just yet, and dust flew everywhere. They shielded the wounded Koneko from it, as it might just be unpleasant to have dust in your flesh. After the dust settled, they turned to look again, and their jaws slacked. Tatsuo was standing over the angel, his fingers charred black. As it appeared, his hands had been burned by the whip when he caught it to get an opening. It had paid off, though, and the enemy was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

And while Asia was tired, she was ready to continue healing her friend, ignoring the fact that a being that she worshipped not too long ago was being beaten to a pulp right in front of her. Her friend was more important, and she didn´t want to believe this man to be an angel. No angel would be sadistic enough to let this happen. Right? She concentrated completely on healing, and she began to sweat because of the strain. She was reaching her limit, and it showed. To make things worse, Kushiel had gotten up and was raring to continue the fight.

"I am known as an angel of punishment. I punish sinners who don´t repent. And harming me is an affront to God himself! I do hope you´re ready for the consequences, because I´m no longer going to hold back!" The angel cried out, cracking his whip. The fire got even more intense, taking on a light blue colour, and it looked like it split the whip in two, now resembling a snake´s tongue. His aura glowed brighter as well.

Tatsuo´s response was to get into his stance immediately, his hands ready to block the onslaught that he knew was coming. He signalled the others to shield themselves, which Rias immediately got to, creating a red dome above the devils. Kiba watched as the angel continued to power up, and clenched his fist. He badly wanted to help. He was no spectator, he was a warrior, dammit! Buthe knew that he would be no help against an angel. Especially one with more than two wings, as the amount of wings indicated their overall strength. The fact that Kushiel had four meant that he would wipe the floor with any of them with ease.

Once the dome was complete, Rias asked Issei to **BOOST** her and Asia at the same time, to get the healing done quicker, and to ensure their shield didn´t break all of a sudden. He complied, and stood up, placing his hands on their shoulders. The light emanating from Asia´s and Rias´ hands got brighter, and the barrier got thicker. Koneko also stopped whimpering as much, now being able to breathe normally, as her nose had grown back completely, as had the top of her head. Her skull showed no signs of damage either, thankfully.

Wasting no time once the barrier was up, Tatsuo sprang into action, relentlessly beating the angel over and over as he powered up, though it had little effect. His raw power created enough of a gust that the punches were slowed down to a grinding halt, and thus, the angel smiled, as his whip split into another few branches. At this point, the whip looked like a Hydra made of a raging inferno, having eight heads that seemed to move on their own.

"Now, die." Kushiel spoke, and the whip moved. Every ´head´ moved in to attack, cutting through the air and charring Tatsuo´s armour black, the light starting to slowly fade as he was hit over and over again. It was a pain similar to the Hand´s sword, except it didn´t cut through his flesh, it _burned_ it´s way through, which was obviously much more painful. His strength started to wane as the onslaught kept going for ages, the Hydra´s head never giving him any reprieve, timing their attacks right after another and making sure to attack in groups of three to ensure a hit every time.

There was no way out of this loss, not without his sword, anyways. If he tried grabbing hold of the whip, he´d just get burned for no reason, and the other heads would immediately target his hand to free the captive. Every time he tried to go for a hit, the Hydra focused all of it´s attention on his punch, making it effectively useless. The hot air was enough of a shield as is, but that was the final punch to the gut.

"Feel the purifying flames of Witherbrand! No mortal and especially no devil can stand before it´s splendour! I give you credit for lasting this long, but this is it! Repent for your transgression!" Kushiel declared, actually moving his arm to lash out at Tatsuo, who held up his arms to block the attack. His regen was too slow, or rather, the flames had burned his cells badly enough to slow it down to a crawl. If this attack hit, and it would, he was out for the count. And then his friends would…!

The flames wrapped around him, making him scream as the heat scorched his armour, and started roasting him inside it. He felt his skin dry up, and the sweat on his forehead evaporated immediately once it came out, providing little relief. Slowly but surely, he was dying. _"Well, should I take over? I do believe you´re screwed otherwise."_ Instinct asked, and Tatsuo reluctantly agreed. While he had his pride as a fighter and was thrilled to finally meet a powerful opponent, he would not put the others at risk for his pride. He closed his eyes, waiting for the transition, but it never came.

Although the heat lessened, he still was in control. Wondering what the hell had happened, he opened his eyes, and his pupils widened at what he saw. Kiba had delivered a deep stab right into Kushiel´s side, light leaking from the wound and being erased by familiar tendrils shooting out from the broadsword, which then proceeded to penetrate the angel as well. The man was crying out in pain, but caught himself quickly, and whipped Kiba right in the chest, sending him flying backward.

Tatsuo saw the boy soaring into the wall, his chest glowing a very bright white. His revenge came immediately. He punched the angel in the face, and yanked the blade from his enemy´s side, making sure to pull at an angle that would leave another cut across the angel´s torso, which made his screams all the louder. _"Looks like you don´t need my help after all. Go nuts, Tatsuo."_ Instinct then all but demanded, making said swordsman have a chuckle. He may have been beaten before, but that changed now. He had a weapon.

His friends were badly hurt and in need of a doctor. Kiba was in a life or death situation, being hit by a Holy Weapon as a devil. But his final gift to Tatsuo, the Holy Eraser, would be put to good use. He grinned as he realized an important detail: he might hate the man before him with every fibre of his being, he may have tortured him for the last few minutes, but in the end, he had enjoyed their fight. And now, with a sword in hand, it would only get better.

Tatsuo, with the sword held in a position ready to strike, leapt forward, a smirk on his face.

 **And so, the whole thing escalates to ridiculous levels. If there´s one thing I take pride in, it´s the insanity of the action scenes. Oh yeah, Issei has officially been punished for rigging the end result of the competition by a very enthuasiastic Koneko, so the one deciding the lemons will be...wait, why is Koneko´s name in the envelope this time?**

 **DAMN THESE BRATS!**

 **Anyways, review plz, and I guess I´ll see you guys next time. Now excuse me, as my imaginary body pillow needs snuggling. Bye!  
**


	36. Chapter 36

**I´m back, guys! Took me long enough because of a one-shot I´m writing for Halloween, but here it is! Part two of our insane battle! Or rather, our heroes´ battle. REVIEWS!**

 **RedBurningDragon: Okay, that explains it. As for Tatsuo stomping Kushiel with his sword…won´t spoil it, but no. Someone else is gonna do the stomping. Also, while I have heard good things about .hack, I´ve never gotten around to watching it myself. Praise the Halloween sale. And the game, well, can´t say I know all too much about it, seeing as I´ve been busy revisiting the classics of both anime(Berserk, FMA Brotherhood, TTGL) and video games(Dishonored, Tales of Symphonia, Metal Gear Rising) lately, so I haven´t kept up to date with new releases all too much. Might give it a chance, though, seeing as it is a 4 in 1 deal. Besides, since the anime was praised by every reviewer I watch on the Youtubes, it can´t be all that bad, seeing as it** _ **is**_ **SAO before SAO was SAO and SAO got it´s own game. Basically, what I´m saying is an anime about video games getting a video game adaption can´t be that bad, and fuck SAO.**

 **Anyways, back to business. Roll the film! What´s that? It´s a written story and not a motion picture? Fuck you then, ROLL THE SCRIPT!**

Tatsuo went for a quick slash to the face, but Kushiel managed to evade it at the very last second by flapping his wings to move his head back just an inch, which was just enough to avoid any damage. The angel tried to retaliate with his whip, but Tatsuo, now less cautious since he had a weapon, dashed past him and into his blind spot, preparing his next attack. He delivered a strong uppercut, slicing his foe right along his spine, the shrieks of agony getting louder and louder as the angel´s white tunic was stained with more blood as the blade sliced through his skin. Using his wings again, the man got some distance by flying to the other side of the room, right next to the hole that lead outside.

He panted heavily, placing a hand on his chest. It was then that he truly realized that he´d been injured by something he thought to be a devil up to this point. But that was impossible. A devil wouldn´t be able to stand after being ensnared in Witherbrand. "What are you?!" he demanded to know, cracking his whip at the air in frustration, which resulted in a few sparks to float in the air before dissipating. Tatsuo didn´t reply, instead focusing on all of his power, which made his armour glow orange.

As fun as this was, he really didn´t want to drag this on for too long, and since he had the advantage, seeing as he was technically in top condition due to his regen and his enemy wasn´t, he had the power to decide that. He angled the sword for a stab, and jumped after his opponent, who was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was losing to this fallen angel _._ That was the only option. A devil wouldn´t be able to stand after his previous attacks, and he would know him if he was an angel, and since he was far too powerful to be human, that was the only option.

He was losing to something that he completely despised, that worked with his hereditary enemies, and to top it all off, he was stopping him from killing an abomination that combined both those things into one, hideous form! He had _enough._ The man no longer cared about the fact that he was a renegade, nor that he would be likely be executed by his comrades after this. He would end this in one attack. His aura crackling with lightning, he ground his teeth with a furious expression, and uttered them, those accursed words, those words he had promised his dear friend to never speak again.

" **Patrem, ut det mihi vires melius recta se Haeduorum iniurias horum animabus pereunt mundum emunda fiet peccatis eorum** **."**

His angelic glow lit up, the energy released blowing away the rest of the manor, letting the sunlight enter the battlefield. The raw energy he emitted knocked Tatsuo back to the ground, and with wide eyes, he observed the angel gaining a halo above his head, and his wings took on a golden hue as they seemed to crackle with energy. His weapon started shining, having flames that were so hot that they took on a blinding white. The earth and the air were both trembling from the sheer power that was gathering in this very spot. The whole scene was made even more artistic by the whirlwind that descended from the heavens, a tornado that surrounded the huge estate of the Himejima family, barricading them inside with the angel.

" **Hæc est. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti: ego dabo tibi paenitet! Moriemini!** **"** He cried out, his aura sparking even stronger, the power pushing Tatsuo into the ground, leaving a huge crater as the angel gathered all his power. Tatsuo, while focused on the fight, couldn´t help but worry for his friends. With some difficulty, he pushed himself up, and crawled to the edge of the crater. The magic dome was intact, thankfully, due to Rias´ and Issei´s efforts. It appeared that he was no longer supplying Asia with **BOOSTS** , so while the healing process slowed, they would survive this.

Kiba had also been rescued, it seemed, or he had somehow made his way over to them, as he was lying beneath the barrier, panting heavily, his chest still shining brightly from the whiplash he´d received earlier. Tatsuo sighed in relief as he saw them, and picked up the sword lying next to his feet. Putting his weight onto it, he managed to stand up. As his gaze drifted back to his opponent, he started to sweat. Kushiel had made his halo grow to huge proportions, now filling the entirety of the tornado´s diameter, and it hummed a deep tone.

He knew what would follow. Inside the halo, he saw lightning crackle, definitely a sign of the power gathering inside it. That thing was a huge cannon. And it would obliterate every last one of them, plus the entirety of the estate on top of it, not counting the ramifications the earthquakes would cause for the city. He had to think fast. No, there was no time for thinking. He needed to _end_ this fast. Lifting the sword, he found it difficult to stand, and fell to his knees, struggling to get back up. It was no use, though. While the angel chanted his incantation, Tatsuo was stuck down here, unable to resist this ridiculously powerful being, hell, the mere presence forced him to bow.

So this was the power of one who served God, huh? He pondered if he would meet the voice from last night once he died, but smacked himself for even harbouring a shadow of that thought. He would not die here. If he died, who would take care of the kids under the barrier? They may be strong, but they´re still just kids. They need a guiding hand to show them the right way. And he would fill that role.

" _This coming from the guy who didn´t have free will a few months back."_ Instinct retorted, making Tatsuo snort in response. That was true, actually. However, just because Instinct was right about that didn´t mean he couldn´t teach his friends what he knew. He was stronger than all of them, but if they tried to, they might just surpass him when they´re older. He had the experience; they had the potential.

" _Eh, that´s your opinion. You still haven´t tapped into your true potential, ya know?"_ Instinct answered in a rather nonchalant way, which ticked his other half off just a bit. Just what did he mean by that? _"Well, let me show you what I mean. You know, when we switch who controls, there is that feeling of passing through a revolving door, right? Well, imagine that there is a door next to it that lets me send over my power. Great, right?"_ The guy answered, and Tatsuo blinked. That was a rather useful thing to know, though he wondered just why Instinct believed to be stronger than him. Shaking his head, he asked a more important question.

 _Why didn´t the bastard tell him that while he was being turned into bacon?!_ Actually, nevermind. It was Instinct he was talking about, and besides, there are worse ways to go than by transformation into bacon. Like anything Instinct came up with. Though he did wonder why Instinct didn´t just switch places in the first place right now, like he suggested back then. _"Ah, that´s simple. The revolving door only works when we are both in a calm state of mind. To put it simple, either one is asleep, unconscious or something similar, or he is not in a fight, like you are. It´s weird, so don´t ask too many questions right now. I´ll explain later."_

That seemed legit. So, Tatsuo told him to go ahead, but Instinct demanded one thing from him before he did so. _"Once you kill this weakling, I want you to bring the two girls to your apartment, and have a talk with them. You know who I´m talking about. Let me have control, and I´ll get them straight to the point. Now then, here ya go."_ Before Tatsuo had time to process what Instinct had said, his armour began glowing brighter and brighter, until the colour matched the flames of the angel´s whip, which seemed to recoil as he underwent his own powerup. The ground beneath him cracked, and his cells regenerated at an incredible rate, his burns disappearing completely.

Without a problem, he stood up, the force exerted by the angel being little more than regular gravity to him now. Tentatively, he hopped into the air with a little force. He rocketed nearly five meters into the air, and he landed on his feet, albeit with some difficulty. Once he did, he took a moment to gather himself. That shocked him way too much, and he needed to calm down. Although, that was deemed a bad idea immediately, and, sword raised high in the air, he poised himself to leap at his foe, who was slowly finishing the incantation.

Just as he left the ground, the lightning in the halo got more and more intense, the spell ready. The eyes of Kushiel were shining brightly, and, with his final prayer, he released all of the energy that was gathered in a single go. The halo hummed loudly, and a small golden orb formed itself in the middle. It sent a small beam of light down to the earth, which, once it landed, seemingly drilled through it. The orb grew bigger and bigger in diameter, and Tatsuo was running out of time. The force may mean nothing to him while he was on the ground, but he couldn´t get high enough with the winds generated by the spell holding him back, which got stronger and stronger the closer he got, regardless of Instinct´s boost.

He saw how the light grew constantly in diameter, and feverishly thought what to do. In seconds, his friends would die if he didn´t come up with a plan! Having no better ideas, he ran over to the devils to get another boost from Issei, as that was the only thing he could think of. He entered their little bubble of safety, and conveyed his plan to them, but was denied by Rias. She explained that the holy nature of this mass of magic would essentially vaporize them if her shield lost it´s strength.

And even with Issei´s boost, she could barely keep it up. Tatsuo grit his teeth, and looked at the others. Akeno was out of the question for any plan he might come up with, Kiba was currently receiving treatment as he groaned, and Asia was not exactly helpful with his problem. He felt a hand tug at his wrist, and he turned to look. It was Koneko, from what he could tell through the swirling dust, gesturing for him to get a bit closer.

"Tatsuo, use me as a stepping stone. I can get you up there." She said, before quickly adding "Don´t worry about me, I may not be allowed to open my eyes because Asia-senpai didn´t finish healing me yet, but I do know where to aim." Tatsuo noticed Asia flinch at that, and worried about her. All this pain and suffering had to put a strain on her, not just mentally from seeing it, but physically from having to use her Sacred Gear constantly. In a way, she took away the pain of others and inflicted it upon herself. He would have to get her a gift later for her hard work.

But for now, he agreed to Koneko´s plan, and lifted her up. She stood somewhat shakily, but Tatsuo held her hand to make sure that she didn´t fall over. The girl planted her feet firmly into the ground, and lowered herself slightly, putting her hands together. Without delay, he put his foot in her hands, and got ready. "Alright, on the count of three, be ready to be thrown, alright?" His answer was a pat on the head, which made her seize up, but she got right back on track, a small smile on her face.

"3…2…" She counted down, and Tatsuo´s body tensed, his armour glowing more intense by the second, getting ready to jump right at the apex of the throw. Before she threw him, she told him one last thing. "Don´t die, okay?" He snorted as she said that. As if he would have the stupidity to do that. That gave her confidence, and after collecting all her remaining strength in her tiny body, Koneko leaned herself backward, and with a loud shout, she lobbed Tatsuo into the air, putting all her weight into it as well. So obviously, as she felt him sail past her at incredible speeds, she herself fell flat on her back. And with that, she sighed, waiting for the storm to subside, and for her hero to return.

Tatsuo was cutting through the air at ridiculous speeds, the Holy Eraser in a position that would stab right through Kushiel´s heart, who was preoccupied with the spell, it seemed, as his eyes were closed. Tatsuo closed in on him in an instant, and the sword pierced the shield generated by the wind, and was about to hit the heart, when it just…stopped. It was literally stuck on nothing. He tried everything, pulling it, pushing it, nothing worked. He noticed, then, how it seemed to crack. He quickly realized why, and his eyes widened at the implications. The light surrounding the angel had entered the sword, and obliterated it from the inside. It was like tossing a bucket of water into a forest fire.

Without having achieved anything, the angel still focused on his magic, the Holy Eraser shattered, leaving Tatsuo with nothing to hold on to. He kept himself from falling by grabbing on to Kushiel, but could barely hold on. The mere contact burned him, the concentrated energy frying him far more than the whip ever could before. He felt his body start to release water in dangerously high quantities to stop him from overheating, with little to no effect, before he realized that his armour was starting to melt, too. Just how much energy is this guy releasing if this is the excess that´s given off as warmth?! He would praise the intellectual shelf for having physics books on it as well, but since that knowledge did nothing but crush his optimism, he refrained from it.

So he did the one thing he could think of. With his regeneration useless right now, being constantly under attack and all, and no sword to use to his advantage, he did the one thing he could think of. He tightened his hold, and, with the power of Instinct, kicked the air. It was a stupid plan, he knew, but what else could he do? The radiance was nearly big enough to reach the devils, and if it hit, they were dead, plain and simple. But if he could kick the air with enough force to get the both of them into the halo, then perhaps…!

" _A suicide attack, huh? So much for the whole "will-teach-them-the-way-of-life bullshit, huh?"_ Instinct interjected, but Tatsuo gave a response in the form of a confident grunt. Of course he would survive. He would get this bastard into his own attack, and go with him in the case that it didn´t work. In which case he would hand over to Instinct, as judging by his earlier comment, he was hiding a lot more power. _"Heh, busted. Ah well, let me tell you this: you got the power. So do it. I_ _ **am**_ _a fan of gambling, after all."_ He got his response, and with Tatsuo´s next kick into the air, the force caused a wind strong enough to propel the two of them forward just a few meters.

He had no time to be shocked, so he kicked, again and again, getting closer and closer to the halo, kind of like swimming to shore, and thankfully, Kushiel was too focused to notice any of this happening. Unfortunately, however, the light had reached the very edge of Rias´ barrier, and he could already see it crack. His kicks´ grew in ferocity and desperation, tripling their speed. Within seconds, the two were at the edge of the halo, which seemed to wake up the angel, likely because it disturbed the spell in some way. He noticed Tatsuo trying to kill them both, and in turn tried to struggle out of the hold, resulting in the beam shrinking as his concentration wavered. But in the end, Kushiel was too exhausted from the spell to shake Tatsuo off, and with a grin, the teacher kicked the air one last time, sending them both into the radiant light.

It went out of control, trembling, growing for a second, before shrinking right after, it got brighter, then lost it´s heavenly splendour, and finally, as it got too unstable, it shrank back into the halo, forming the orb from earlier. With one final crack of sparks, it exploded, sending holy energy in the form of the purest light imaginable everywhere, though it was too scattered to do anything to the devils thanks to their barrier. And within a few seconds, the tornado dispersed as well, leaving a ruined estate atop the hill, the ground where the spell had touched down being completely purified into a state of blankness, having no colour whatsoever.

Once the dust had settled, Issei collapsed to his knees, and Rias let down the barrier right after, following suit. They were panting heavily, especially Issei, who had to sustain two people at the same time for a while, and had done nothing but **BOOST** for the last ten minutes, putting an incredible strain on his body. He kept his consciousness, though, as he refused to faint before they got out of here. And so, he heaved himself up, and with some help from Kiba, who had recovered enough to walk, they looked for Tatsuo. He couldn´t be far. The tornado must have kept him inside the ruins, as it only dispersed after the explosion.

Rias was still on the ground and checking up on the others. Thankfully, Asia was still conscious, it seemed, as she was going to work on Akeno, while the King decided to prepare a magic circle to evacuate them as quickly as possible. With Kushiel dead, they had no reason to stay. Soon, Kiba and Issei returned with their teacher, and slowly carried him over. Once Rias laid her eyes on him, they widened, and she felt the urge to vomit rise.

His armour had molten, sticking to his completely white skin, and as he was carried over, some parts loosened and came off together with his skin, exposing his flesh to the air. And it did not fare much better. The flesh was oozing blood, which was so thick that it did not flow very well, which clogged up the wound, but since the flow was so strong, it started bursting out with every step he took, resulting in a vicious cycle. First, the blood would burst out as he put his foot on the ground, then, when he lifted his leg again, it would stop the flow because of the viscosity, and once his foot hit the ground again, the next burst shot out.

Without delay, she stood up and, grabbing the Bishop, ran over to them, commanding her servants to place Tatsuo on the ground. Asia got to work immediately, silent as a rock. The green glow staunched the blood flow, and slowly, the wound closed. Miraculously, he was still awake, hell, it was amazing that he survived at all. But they knew that he needed better treatment than this. The armour needed to come off. Biting her lips, Rias hurried with the magic circle. As she did this, Kiba and Issei carried over the other two, getting ready to leave. The teleport took too long to finish, mainly because of her exhaustion, and that delay cost them dearly, when the King felt something hit her. It burrowed deep into her chest, burning her flesh as it advanced further into her body.

Numb, she looked down on herself, and saw a flaming strip of leather stuck in her chest. She heard the others cry out, and, with a lot of difficulty, lifted her head. Above her stood Kushiel, his whip in hand. With one swift motion, he pulled, and she felt the hot, flaming whip leave her body. Blood began to spray from her wound, making her faint from the pain alone. Without a word, the angel lifted his whip and aimed at Asia, who was either too focused to notice any of this, or was nearly unconscious, judging from the extremely weakened glow of her Twilight Healing. Kiba rescued her with his superhuman speed, pulling her out of harm's way, and the whip lashed the air.

The angel was completely silent, carrying an exhausted, tired expression which made it seem like he was asleep as he tried again, this time aiming for Tatsuo, who was groaning in pain with his eyes closed. He knew that he had failed. And with that, the whip cracked through the air, and a loud scream of pain echoed across the ruined manor. However, it wasn´t Tatsuo´s. It was Kushiel´s. And Kiba soon found out why, as he looked up at him again. The man was on his knees, his weapon lying next to his limp, twitching hand. Immediately after, a bolt of lightning shot toward him, making him cry out again as he shook heavily from the shock.

There was only one person among them who was able to do that. Kiba turned around, and saw the Queen standing up, an arm raised, electricity crackling around it. Slowly, Akeno pushed herself further up, and as she did, she sent another shock Kushiel´s way, who, due to his injuries, could not dodge, and was wracked with pain, his body convulsing. Again and again, as the girl stood up, the angel was electrocuted, with the volume of his screams getting lower and lower with each one, and his twitching body going more and more limp. Once she was standing, she made her way over to him, still not letting up with her attacks, which were just strong enough to keep him awake, yet weak enough to keep him alive.

Soon, she towered over him menacingly, her eyes hidden by her hair, and she lifted her leg, making Tatsuo´s coat fall off, and kicked Kushiel in the face, knocking him on his back before she trampled him over and over again, hitting each part of his body, one after the other. All the while, she was muttering something under her breath, in a voice so silent that no one could hear it.

" _Don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don´t touch him don't touch him."_

Tatsuo tried to stop her, but couldn´t. He had no voice to speak with, and even if he did, she probably wouldn´t listen. He looked at the others, pleading for help, but they were too much in shock, or unconscious to notice. He called for Instinct to help, but he gave no response. So he did the only thing he could think of, and turned onto his belly, and started crawling over. His regen was not working for some reason, so his wounds got torn open again every time he advanced, leaving a red trail on the floor. The pain was unbearable, but he endured it with a desperate expression, and pushed onward.

Once he reached her, he grabbed her ankle, making Akeno stop her torture for a second. She looked down at him, and what he saw made him freeze. Her eyes were empty, devoid of emotion, they had lost their spark he so cherished. Slowly, she bent down, and once her face was on the same level as his, she whispered: _"Please let go, my dear darling. I´m punishing this man for you."_ His hand loosened at those words, and his jaw slacked. With that, she stood up again, and went back to her stomping of the angel, who was whimpering like a puppy at this point. Tatsuo was completely powerless. His friend was going on a rampage in his name, and had seemingly lost all sense of self. She was broken, and there was nothing he could do. He was powerless. Powerless. powerless. _powerless…_

No. He refused to believe that the Akeno he knew and loved was gone. He refused to believe that she was completely broken. He refused to believe that the girl with whom he´s had so much fun bantering with, the girl whom he adored so much, the girl he fought for was gone. Grunting, he stood up shakily, making the others who were watching gasp at the sheer willpower he had. The gasps made her turn around, and with a slacked jaw, she was embraced. She felt his hands on her back, slowly patting her, comforting her, calming her. Just what was she doing?

Tears in her eyes, she returned the hug as light returned to her eyes. And slowly, he walked backwards, his staggering steps looking like an awkward waltz of sorts, with half the steps cut out. Akeno giggled at the idea, and followed his steps, completing the wobbly dance toward the others. Once they were in the right company, Tatsuo let himself fall over, and as they sat there together, still embracing each other, she started crying her eyes out. But this was different to the tears shed earlier that week, as was the hug she was receiving. These were tears of joy, and the hug was not holding her broken heart together like strings, like the one from two days ago. No, this hug was mending her heart, not by sloppily stitching it back together, but by lovingly bringing every individual cell back together, one by one.

As the touching reunion was taking place, in the background, Issei was worryingly looking for Asia. She had simply disappeared at some point, and they needed her to fix up Rias, even if her high magical power made her wounds heal quicker than normal, and the holy weapon was less effective on her due to that as well. He looked around for a good minute before spying her small figure, and he sighed in relief as he walked over. She was hunched over, on her knees, and once he arrived, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Asia, the President needs your –" He didn´t finish as he saw what she was doing. She was healing the angel. He yelped in shock, and staggered backwards, falling on his arse in the process. "Asia! Get away from him!" he yelled, getting the attention of Kiba and Koneko only, as Akeno was too caught up in her hug, as was Tatsuo, and Rias was unconscious. And since Koneko was blinded for the time being and was wondering what was happening, not just because of Issei´s outburst, but also because of the sobs that were coming from right beside her, only Kiba saw what was happening, and dashed over to prevent it.

Asia was healing Kushiel. Issei quickly stood up and pulled her into his protective grip, away from the angel as his gaze focused on the enemy. Just what was she thinking?! He turned to demand an explanation, but stopped as he saw her face. He just couldn´t believe what he saw, and yet, it brought tears to his eyes. Asia had long since been unconscious. Her hands still emitted the green light, but it was so faint that it was practically invisible. Her pupils were empty, devoid of anything. The joy she got from helping others, the care for anything alive, the desire to help those suffering, all those things had vanished. He stared into them, and saw only the void. She had been treating their wounds for so long that…

The Pawn wrapped her up in a tight hug, trying, but failing to suppress the sobs. He could take a guess as to why she was healing the angel. It was just like when the church excommunicated her, but the other way around. Instead of treating a devil whilst being a saint, she helped an angel as a devil. Why? Because why not? Asia was a person that would heal a person that was all too ready to kill her in cold blood, as long as they no longer had to suffer. That´s just the person was. The approaching Kiba took notice of the hug, and stopped in his tracks, guessing as to what Issei had seen. He suppressed his tears, and checked on the angel. Kushiel was dead. For quite a while, too.

Kiba sighed, and picked up the corpse, tying the whip around it´s neck, making sure to not touch anything other than the handle, even if the flames had gone out. Better dispose of it before the police finds it. As he carried it over to the magic circle that was half done, he saw another corpse, the face of one at least, as the other was erased from existence. It was probably Shuou, though it was hard to tell due to the fact that only the eyes were left in the last bit of the skull, though those, too, were being devoured by the destruction. As he dumped the corpse in the circle, he went back, and told Issei to carry the Bishop over, so he could finish the circle and get them to the clubhouse. Without much argument, the Pawn did as asked, and held Asia bridal style, though he still held her as close as possible. In the meantime, Kiba gathered the armour that had fallen off of Tatsuo´s body, and returned once he had all the pieces, which were thankfully cold at this point. Whatever the armour was made of, it wasn´t metal.

Once everyone was in the circle, Kiba hurried, and finished creating it with the little magic power he possessed, and once it was done, he applied the necessary tattoo onto Tatsuo, who was still embracing the crying Queen. Right after, the Knight made them vanish from the ruins, as the rest of Shuou Himejima disintegrated, and far away, sirens started blaring.

 **Well. That just happened. Guess I finally managed to justify the M rating with those last two chapters, huh? The question is, what will they do once they return?**

 **Find out next time on "Shitty title that I´m too lazy to change"!**

 **Anyways, review if you want to(highly encouraged), and I´ll be seeing you next time. Bye!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hi guys! It´s me! The almighty, handsome congresscrab! So, new chapter, new luck, eh? Heh, no. Minispoiler: I am a sadistic fuck, and these guys know it. I should at the very least be allowed that pleasure right now, as I have to deal with three tests a week for A WHOLE DAMN MONTH. Fuck. My. Life. Expect the updates to slow down a lot. Anyways, to the reviews!**

 **RedBurningDragon: Training would be the least of their worries, I´ll tell you that much. After all, the first week of school is nearly over, and the weekend approaches…so much opportunity to mess with relationships…heheheheheheh…also, spoiler, Kuroka doesn´t come in till around season 3. We haven´t even begun the plotline of season 2 yet! Just realized that. I might want to speed up the pace a little bit…**

 **Also, I looked at your idea/challenge, and let me say this: I´m about halfway through the game, judging by the Steam achievements. I haven't even cleared the second world yet, so…will put that off for now. But I will consider it at a later date when I actually finish the game. And kill whatever Abyssion is. It can´t be that hard. I beat nearly all of Dark Souls 2 SOTFS on SL1/no iframes and mediocre damage (seriously though, fuck adaptability and the mace can be eaten by the Covetous Demon for all I care)!**

 **ultima-owner: Most excellent. That moment had to hit it´s mark(I assume/hope you´re talking about the part where Ms Kidnapped goes all yandere up in this bitch), and it seems it did. *self-shoulderpat***

With a flash, the group appeared in Tatsuo´s apartment, the living room, to be precise. Some of them were too wrapped up in their emotions/unconciousness to notice, but Kiba, as the only conscious one with his wits and senses about him saw that Levia-tan was currently sitting on the couch, a sandwich in her hand, her eyes wide and jaw slacked. Slowly, her gaze drifted from one to the next, from Rias, who was unconscious on her back, bleeding on the floor, to Koneko, who was sitting on the ground, confused as to their surroundings, and seemingly sniffed the air, recognizing the apartment by the smell of it, resulting in a small smile and a sigh of relief.

Levia-tan´s eyes then turned, finally spotting the corpse of Kushiel, before continuing on to Asia and Issei, who was still tightly holding his stepsister to his body whilst shedding tears of sorrow, to Akeno and Tatsuo, whose embrace lasted still, the joy and relief of the reunion overflowing from their eyes, and finally, back to Kiba, who stood as the sole person capable of reason of the beaten and battered, yet victorious group.

Wasting no time, the Great Satan demanded what happened as she dropped her meal in favour of picking up her phone from the couch, presumably to call Sirzechs and get some doctors over to get Lady Gremory and her servants, including Tatsuo fixed back up. As they waited, she got the two unconscious girls on her bed, and gave them the usual first response, checking their pulse, their temperature, and sighed as she realized that Asia was truly just exhausted. Rias, however, was in a much worse shape. The Great Satan tried her best to get rid of the holy energy that was still inside her, but without the help of highly trained medics, this would not work. Levia-tan´s magic was not meant for this precise, surgical usage. It was more like an erupting volcano, just a huge, overwhelming power to destroy every last enemy in battle.

All the while, Issei sat next to her, holding Asia´s hand as his tears continued to flow. He didn´t pay attention to Rias, not now at least. His focus was solely on his stepsister. He knew that the President was a strong person. She didn´t need his support. She could handle it on her own. Asia, however, lacked that strength. She was someone that was so reckless in her love for life that she was willing to throw her own away if it meant saving another. His thoughts then drifted as to her reason to live. And it was in those moments that he realized just how little Asia actually had any ambition of her own. She was literally only keeping herself alive to help others. She was selfless to the point of literally having no self. No goal in life other than to help others…

Issei violently shook his head and strengthened his grip on her hand. He had made a decision. Whatever it may cost him, however much he would have to suffer, he would make sure that Asia finds joy in life, joy that did not stem from others. But her own happiness. His tears slowly started to dry up as he thought of ways to make her happy. Clothes? She wasn´t exactly a fashion freak, unlike the red haired devil lying on the bed next to her. Maybe he would take her to the arcade again? She did enjoy that the last time they went before she was kidnapped by…now that he thought about it, that may just bring up unpleasant memories.

But where? Where and how could he take her to show her a purpose in life, a reason she herself can choose to live for that does not involve anyone other than herself? He spent the next few minutes pondering that exact question, until the medics arrived, and he was chased out of the room. He waited a few seconds outside, before one of them poked her head out, and gave him permission to enter so he could remove Asia from the bed, as she didn´t need real medical attention. And while he was relieved to hear that, his anger, which he knew was unreasonable, stemming from them dismissing his stepsister as unworthy of their attention nearly made him shout at them, but he stopped himself when he heard his master moan in pain.

He shut himself up, picked up Asia, and left the room. Before the door closed behind him, Koneko was led into it by the Great Satan, who had a worried expression on her face, and after hearing the door shut, she led him into the living room again, and as he slowly trudged behind her, watching Asia slowly breathe in and out in his arms, his grip strengthened as his mind began to race once again. Once they arrived in the living room, Levia-tan asked him to have the Bishop rest on the couch, which was seemingly extendable to form a bed large enough for three people, as Akeno and Tatsuo were still in their own world. In the background, the TV was showing a documentary about some weird planet he´d never heard of having been discovered, but the Great Satan shut it off so as to not disturb the two on the couch and the sleeping Bishop.

Thankfully, the Queen was actually wearing some semblance of clothing, even if it was just a long, one-pieced dress in white colour. On one hand, the Pawn was let down because he would´ve loved to admire those curves a while longer, but he immediately smacked himself for it. Not the time for those kinds of thoughts. Tatsuo, on the other hand, had taken off the rest of his armour, which was scattered on the floor, with parts of his skin still attached. Issei assumed that he refused to receive treatment in favour of remaining in his current spot, and he couldn´t blame him. He would stay too if it were Asia or the President that was rescued and needed some comforting, even if he was as heavily injured as his teacher.

Though said teacher was in immense pain at the moment, not just physical from the battle, but also mental from all the things that had happened that morning; Koneko was blinded, albeit only temporarily now that she would receive proper treatment, Akeno had been tortured for a whole night by a bunch of psychopaths who were likely at least partly her family, and he had literally had to watch as his friends were ripped to shreds by said family while he was entangled in another fight. It weighed heavily on his mind, so he was all too happy when he finally got to take a break once the whole thing was over.

And he had to admit, the dress looked really good on the Queen. It gave her a childish sort of look. He silently continued stroking the back of her head, trailing the line of her hair, which she was wearing open now. He felt at peace in these moments, separated from the shitty world that was outside of this hug. As he was enjoying this break, Akeno started whispering into his ear. _"You know, that angel was not lying. I am an abomination."_ He immediately responded by slapping her on the back of her head, making her let out a small yelp. He was surprised that she didn't start giggling, as he would´ve expected when they bantered. Instead, she continued talking with her depressed tone.

" _Please, just listen. I need to get this off my chest. So, please do not judge anything I say until I´m finished, okay?"_ Reluctant because of the hurt in her voice, Tatsuo took a brief moment before agreeing, but only after looking over to Issei, to give the boy a signal to plug his ears for a while. The brunette immediately obeyed without hesitation, and Tatsuo gave a nod, thanking Issei for complying and telling Akeno to begin her story.

With a deep breath, she began explaining. How her family was deeply connected to the angels as their servants, though it was more based on faith and voluntary submissiveness and less on a system like the Evil Pieces. For approximately 800 years, her family had served the angels this way, giving them the leeway that was needed to carry out their _holy duty_ without fear of being caught by humans. Usually, it ended with witnesses being accused of theft, with items of the clan being planted somewhere in their home, and the Himejimas demanding their execution. It worked like a charm, to a frightening degree, especially in feudal times. Once those times came to an end and industrialisation began to alter how the world was viewed, they used a different strategy: those who saw the angels were promptly given a well-paying job offer in one of the family´s factories, and on their first day, a terrible accident would kill them. Or rather, they would be declared dead. Some survived, and those suffered even worse, as no one would ever look for them.

" _But then, my mother was born. She was a wonderful person. She would go around and put volatile spirits to rest in the region, and because of her beauty and good heart, she became famous across Japan. Many came to court this woman they´d never met, and yet, she turned them all down."_ Her hands tensed, and Tatsuo began softening his touch to her to the point of it being ticklish, and she giggled. _"Thanks. So, as I was saying, even though she turned them all down, there was one that caught her attention. That was my father. He was a strong, upright man. There was only one problem. He was a Fallen Angel."_

Tatsuo briefly stopped his motions to process what she had said, before resuming, urging her to finish the story, even though he had a pretty good guess as to how it would probably end. _"My mother was banished to a shrine to become a priestess there when her relationship with him was discovered, but she did not care. What she did care about, was the baby in her belly."_ Akeno briefly giggled before looking up at his face and pointing at herself. _"That was me. So, four years later, we lived in peace at the shrine. We had no care in the world, my mother exorcised a restless soul every now and then, my father disappeared every few days before coming back, and I was just a simple child playing with Ryuuji. Oh, that was our dog."_ She added upon noticing his confused expression.

As she thought of her former friend, she felt her heart slowly tearing itself apart again, and she pulled herself closer to Tatsuo as a result. His care made the pain melt away, and with a small sigh of relief, she began to near the end of her tale. _"One day, it all changed. While my mother and I were having a regular day, talking about how she would teach me how to put spirits to rest, just like her, when these men showed up. She hid me in a closet, and told me to stay quiet. As I was a child, I opened the door just enough to watch the events unfold. And…and…they killed her in front of my eyes. They just…they just…slit her throat like it was nothing…"_

His caress softened as he pulled her even closer, so close that he could curve his hand, which was placed on her head, around her and place it on his shoulder if he wanted to. As if squeezing juice from a fruit, his touch made her stutter out the final bits of the story between her sobs. How it was Kushiel and her uncle Shuou who murdered her mother for showing affection to what they called a sinner of the highest order. How her father never returned, leaving her alone with the fanatic zealots. How after they left, she was too weak to even dig a proper grave for her mother. How she was forced to travel Japan, exorcising spirits like her mother, until she met Rias and was saved by her from an assassination attempt of her family, who had finally learned of her existence. How after a whole year of being all on her own, she was given a new family. Though it would never be able to replace the bond her and her mother shared. Her father, though…

" _I will never forgive him for abandoning us. My mother bears no guilt for loving him. He should´ve protected us. He should´ve…!"_ She stopped, and started coughing. Tatsuo patted her on the back, and eventually it blew over. She quietly thanked him, and asked him to not say anything for a second. Wondering what she was on about, he nodded, confused. Akeno let go of him and moved out of the hug, albeit with some difficulty, as Tatsuo was rather reluctant to let go just yet. She stood up, turned around, and pulled her dress down far enough to expose her shoulderblades to the air.

The next instant, two black, yet utterly different wings shot out of her back. One of them was exactly like that of the other devils, a bat-like, leathery wing. The other was feathered, like Kushiel´s, but the dark colour reminded Tatsuo of that book he saw at the manor during training, where a similar wing was on the cover. "This is it. This is the reason they called me an affront to life. I am a monster. I am the hybrid of the two most sinful creatures in the whole world." She spoke, and fell silent as Tatsuo just lied there, watching the appendages twitch about, betraying her nervousness. She thought he was going to hate her. Just how many had belittled her for this that she feared even his rejection? This reminded him heavily of the Voice´s words before he fought the Strap.

" **They couldn´t make sense of her. So they put her in a cage. And we both know that being locked up fucks you up inside."** They may have known what she was, but what the Voice meant was not possessing knowledge about someone, but understanding. And in the end, what was locked up was the side of her that was the Fallen Angel, which those bastards refused to accept, much less attempt to understand. They simply declared her evil for all intents and purposes, and tried to murder her because her father happened to be a Fallen Angel. Something she had no control over was to be the reason of her death?! He could only guess as to what that did to her psyche. If you had a side of yours that you lock away forever due to fear of persecution, the results can´t be good.

He could tell that she had not brought out this wing for a long time. It was convulsing far more than the other, as if she had no control over it, or far less at the very least. He decided to do the one thing he felt was right. Due to his wounds, it was hard, but he stood up. She watched him anxiously as he slowly lifted himself up. Once he stood with a straight back, he lifted his arm, and she expected a punch to the face. After all, what else could she expect? She was an abomination. A disgusting piece of filth that was unworthy to even be in the same room as the man before her. There was no way that this could end any other way.

What she got was better than her wildest of dreams. He flipped her around, and planted his lips on hers, making her eyes widen. After a second, his lips left hers, and she was just standing there, dumbfounded. For a moment, the whole room was silent. Her mouth was agape, and she tried to find something, anything to say, but her mind was blank. She only knew one thing. She wanted more. She leaned forward, and he all to readily reciprocated the kiss.

They stayed like this for a while, just enjoying the moment. After a solid thirty seconds, their lips parted, and they needed to catch their breath. They just stared into each other´s eyes, basking in the afterglow. It was then that they noticed a small cough beside the bed, and they turned to look. Issei was blushing a deep red and looking out the window awkwardly. "As happy as I am for you two, could you not do that right in front of me?" He asked nervously, and the two had a good laugh as his face got redder than ever. "Don´t laugh! You –"He didn´t finish, as Asia started quietly groaning in her sleep. His protective instincts kicking in, he turned around immediately and held her hand, whispering that everything would be okay with a cracking voice. Tatsuo and Akeno knew that their moment was over, and let go of each other, though there was no awkwardness between the two. Instead, there was only mutual acceptance, and worry that stemmed from the resting Bishop. The only one feeling the slightest bit awkward was the Pawn, though he too was preoccupied by the blonde. Since he had to apologize to him, Tatsuo decided to finally find out why Instinct was being so quiet, as the other half had been right all along about the Queen. He tried to reach him as Akeno lied back down, prodding at the blocked channel. After a while, he received a headache for his efforts. So that did go both ways. Instinct must _really_ not want to talk right now. So, with a sigh, he settled for second best, and lied down on his back, feeling an arm wrap around his chest. He patted Akeno´s head, and closed his eyes.

He awoke when he was shook violently, not having had any dreams. Once his eyes were open, he could see that it was Levia-tan that was shaking him so hard. So he responded in kind, and hit her on the head, making her yelp. She then made a shushing sound, holding a finger in front of her mouth with a grave expression. A quick glance to his right showed why. Akeno and Asia were wrapped up in a hug, between two sisters, as the older one was patting the younger comfortingly on the head, and said younger devil had a smile on her face. All the while, Issei was asleep next to them, holding Asia´s free hand, probably dreaming of something perverted, judging from the grin on his face. It was an adorable scene, and Tatsuo agreed that disturbing it would be a crime. With no sound, he got out of the couch. He wondered why Levia-tan was so riled up, though. The scene was cute, yes, but it was not worth that kind of face. She led him back into the hallway to her room with no noise, and ushered him in once they stood in front of the door. The medics were gone, and wherever they had disappeared to, they had taken all their equipment with them, leaving only Rias and Koneko in the room, both fully conscious now.

But something was wrong. Rias was holding the younger devil close to her, comfortingly stroking her head as Koneko sobbed into her master´s chest. He froze as he watched the scene, wondering just what was happening. Then, as he stared, he noticed something that told him everything he needed to know. His knees gave way as he realized just why Koneko was so upset. As his knees hit the ground, the girl seized up, and turned her head. Slowly, carefully, she held out her hand, and he grabbed it with no hesitation, crawling over to the bedside as he did. She recognized his touch, and sobbing, she jumped into his arms, tears streaming down her face. He comforted her just like he did with Akeno earlier, stroking her head, though he found it difficult to keep his composure, as did the others in the room, Rias straight up crying as well. Every sob hit him with immense guilt as he remembered the cause for this.

Why didn´t he kill the human first? He could have saved her from her fate. But he knew why. Tatsuo had enjoyed his battle with the angel. He didn´t help his friend, because of a fleeting emotion. If anything, it was pride. He refused to bow down to the angel, wanted to prove that he was stronger, no, the _strongest_. And because of this, Koneko, his favorite student Koneko, his dear friend Koneko, was now scarred for life. As they held each other like this, Levia-tan decided to lead Rias outside, to give the two some time to grieve. The younger devil did so, but not before sending her Rook one last sorrowful look. Once the door shut, Tatsuo let his dam give way, and the tears began dropping to the floor. He tightened his grip, and for a long time, the two just sat there, letting their grief flow from their eyes in this small, dark room where no light could enter to expose them in this vulnerable state.

Eventually, he heard someone call out him, though it was so quiet that one might mistake it for the wind. It was the voice of the girl in his arms. _"Please don´t let go…"_ In response, he patted the back of her head, his guilt and sorrow swelling up as he touched the blindfold. _"…really?"_ He nodded, as his fingers touching the black cloth started burning. She would never take it off. Her eyes were gone. Forever. And it was all his fault. As their sobbing eventually died out, he could make out her voice calling out again, though what it said made his heart stop, and silently, he hoped to have misheard. The world, or whoever controls it, was truly a sadistic fucker.

" _I like you."_

 **Well, shit is going down! And not down the toilet. So, how will our little romancing problem play out? Will the hero be able to solve this emotional conundrum? What about Instinct? And if/when our hero fails, will they try to talk it out like the adults that they aren´t? Or will they both grab a knife and try to stab each other to death over him?**

… **holy shit with devil powers that might just be awesome. Tatsuo** _ **is**_ **right. I AM A SADISTIC FUCK AND I LOVE MYSELF FOR IT!**

 **Anyways, review please, I haven´t been getting my fix lately, and my doctor CAN GO SCREW HIMSELF, I NEED TO GET HIGH ON THIS SHIT TO WRITE EFFECTIVELY!**

 **Ahem, excuse my outburst. It´s just that my** _ **good**_ **imaginary friend Charlie is being A LITTLE DIFFICULT! HEY! PUT THAT DOWN! THAT´S MY MUFFIN! NOOOOO. DON´T YOU FUCKING – YOU ATE MY MUFFIN! I´LL FUCKING MURDER YOU! GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT! Oh, btw, bye. NOW COME HERE, CHARLIE! I DON´T WANT TO HURT YOU! I JUST WANNA TURN YOUR NECK INTO A MERRYGOROUND!** **Hish**


	38. Chapter 38

**Welcome back! Reviews! LET´S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!**

 **ultima-owner: Well, that would be the best case scenario, now wouldn´t it? Come on, you know me by now. That will never happen. Someone needs to suffer for my inadequacies.**

 **RedBurningDragon: Oh, well, they don´t know that Kokabiel´s a thing just yet, so I doubt they´ll properly train at all, after all, there is a certain event that is far more pressing than badly written waraddicts...**

 **CrowSkull: No, who are you?**

 **Just kidding, nice to see you again! Also, nice to hear you´ve begun writing yourself! And while I´m not really into/have never really interacted RWBY and Watch Dogs (plus all the other franchises you´ve included in your story, unfortunately), I do wish you all the best! A crossover is always an ambitious project, but what you´re doing is borderline insane. And that is perfect! Keep at it! Ißm sure your story will turn out great! Maybe I´ll have a change of heart sometime, and give it a read.**

 **THEN, YOU SHALL FEEL THE POWER OF**

 **THE REVIEW OF A TRUE GRAMMAR NAZI.**

 **Also, not gonna kinkshame you. That is the job of tumblr, reddit, and 4chan. And the porn sites´ commenters. Seriously though, who leaves a comment on porn? Why is that a thing?**

 **Goldenclaw: Well, the first parts of this will take that last sentence to the next level.**

 **Everyone, before you start, I will make an announcement at the end of this chapter concerning the organization of the updates, so please, read it. Because I would hate having to make people think that the story is dead, when in actuality, the answer was in the closing statement the whole time.**

 **ALSO, 20k. We broke it, guys.** **That bar is now so short because I tripled the usual word count minimum. 9000-12000 words. Weirdly enough, I hope we never break 30k. That would mean 12000-16000…oh, and fyi, 69 follows. Kek.**

 **One last thing. There is a part in this chapter which is extremely violent, and openly describes torture, followed by what is borderline rape. If you´re offended by that, watch for the quote "Absolute violation". That´s where it begins. It ends at "Don´t worry, everything will be alright." So, if you decide to read that part, don´t come crying to me. Though, since you´ve come this far, you should know how fucked up my mind is, so this may be wholly unnecessary.**

 **Prepare for feels.**

It took him a while to process her words. As she snuggled closer to him, something in him snapped, and he let go. As his arms fell to the floor, she seized up, and started sniffling. _"Tatsuo..:? Are you there…? Please, don´t let go…"_ she whispered, the sorrow returning in full force as she began to bawl, holding him as tightly to her as she could. He might´ve choked to death at that rate, but he was too numb to care.

She confessed her love to him? **Pain.**

After all he had done? **Betrayed.**

After all the suffering he had made her go through? **Abandoned.**

He had given her nothing, only taken her eyes, and she responded by giving him her heart? **Guilt.**

And even that trust he had betrayed earlier, with Akeno. **Betrayed.**

Instinct had been right all along. **Pain.**

How had he been so blind? **Guilt.**

He was a monster. **Hurt. Himself.**

The image of a teenage girl flew through his mind. **DEATH.**

" _With you, our world withers and dies. You are the end."_ **DEATH** **.**

She had been right all this time. **DEATH** **.**

He had no place in this world, neither the Free World, nor this one.

 **HE WOULD BE OF BETTER USE TO THIS WORLD IF HE WERE DEAD.**

He remembered something. In his final briefing in the Hive, he was told about it. The kill switch. It was located right in his heart, where the young devil was pressing her head onto him. If he were ever to be captured, he should press it. Better dead than detrimental to the Hive. A lot of good that did him as he couldn´t even use it when he was captured. The switch had to be activated by hand for some reason, so he couldn´t do it back then. But now? There was nothing stopping him. Better dead than detrimental to the world.

Slowly, he raised his hand, placing it on Koneko´s head, making her freeze. She began to sigh as she realized that he still cared, but that lasted nary a second, as he pulled her off of him, and she fell onto the ground. She cried out in surprise, asking him what was wrong. But he didn´t care. Every word she spoke in concern for him strengthened his emotions and hastened his movements. He placed his hand upon his chest, and, after a second, pushed down. The skin seemed to give way, turning into a liquid, as it seemed. His hand burrowed into his flesh, and slowly, he made his way toward his heart. His selfish, vile, **worthless** heart.

As Koneko began to panic, footsteps could be heard outside. He should get this over quickly. He would not let them stand in his way for redemption. His fingers then found it, the seemingly still heart. It served him well throughout his fights. In a peaceful situation, it beat less than ten times a minute. If in a battle, that number skyrocketed and pierced the damn heavens. But that would never happen again. The footsteps got louder. Right as they were outside the door, he found it. It was flat and cold, and felt like glass to the touch. Behind this surface was the kill switch. With no hesitation, he plunged his fingers through the glasslike surface, and that is when he felt it. It was a tiny, tiny switch. Like a lever of sorts. How that was built into his heart, he would never know. And to be honest, he didn´t want to. The door flew open, and with one final breath, Koneko screaming for him, he flipped it.

 **DARKNESS.**

 _He was standing on a wooden platform, amidst the dark. It was flowing around the small wooden structure, like a calm sea. He watched it as it splashed, listened to the waves, and it was then that he began to wonder just where he was. Was this heaven? Sure didn't look like it. Hell, perhaps? After all, that was the place he belonged. No, from what he was told by Asia, Hell was a fiery place. He looked around. There was nothing on this platform. Except a path leading over the ocean, further into the abyss. Nary a thought was on his mind, and he saw no other way out. So he began walking on it, deeper and deeper into the black mist. As he continued walking, he took notice of a headache that was starting to build up. It served him right. Any pain he might feel was justified. He made his way over the walkway, which seemed to lead nowhere, and yet he continued onward, through the dark. It was after a long time that he thought to make out something on the horizon. It was a hole. How there was a hole in an abyss, he could not figure out, yet there it was. As he got closer, something seemed to change in the air around him. Instead of being calm like the ocean, this was feeling like a storm, a hurricane fit to destroy entire countries._

 _He continued onward. Much later, after a long walk, he finally arrived at the salt in this soup of tar. The hole he had seen earlier, wind seemingly blowing from the other side was causing the hurricane. It was about as big as the school gate, around two meters in width, and twice as high as Tatsuo himself. He wanted to walk around it, explore the rest of the abyss, but there was a tiny issue with that. The hole was the only place to go. In front of him was a huge wall, too big to even see the top. And so, the path ended. He began examining the hole. It looked like it used to be smaller, but then was enlarged by something funnelling through it and expanding. From the other side._

 _But what was far more interesting, was what was at the end. Light. Heaven, he assumed. Why Heaven would try to bust down this wall, or why it existed at all, he did not know, but that was not really important. It might even be Hell, though why that gate would be here, he did not know either. Hell was actually far more probable in his case. Tentatively, he touched the edges of the hole, and felt a jolt run through his arm. He quickly pulled back, panting as he did so. The shock was far stronger than anything he´d ever felt. He felt himself trembling. Trembling at this massive surge of electricity. He gulped, and told himself that this must be some sort of test concocted by God to see if he was worthy of entering Heaven, or punishment for those that had to go to Hell, like him. When that occurred to him, he stopped shaking, and a dark grimace formed itself on his face. How_ dare _anyone question his strength, his ability to atone? This was_ _ **nothing**_ _._

 _Without fear, he stepped through. His first step was reciprocated with an immense discharge, causing his body to convulse heavily. But he refused to give in. In comparison to the pain he´d dealt onto others, this was but a breeze. He could take it. He_ _ **would**_ _take it. His steps got surer the further he walked into the broken wall, closer and closer to the light, the salvation he so craved. But though he was getting surer in his steps, the resistance grew as well, burning his skin with white lightning that shot from the walls. This was_ _ **nothing**_ _. He bore the pain with a grim expression, forging onward with only one goal in mind: reaching the light, and asking for punishment to repent for what he´d done. Finally, he could see the tunnel´s end. He would not admit it, but he was nearing his limit. And so, with one last, pain-stricken step, he stepped out of the tunnel, and into the light._

 _What he found was not what he had expected. It was another wooden platform, hovering over an ocean. The difference was the blue sky with the sun brilliantly shining on the landscape, or lack thereof, and the crystal-clear water, with fish swimming just beneath the surface, sometimes jumping into the air. He had read about those once. He forgot the name, but those kinds of fish did exist. Weirded out, he looked around. This was nothing like the other side. Just where was he? And if this was Heaven, where the hell was God? And if this was Hell, where were the fires that eternally burned the souls of the guilty to make them atone? He soon found the answer to his first question, as the walkway lead to what seemed to be a dock, and at it´s side was a ship. Not large, mind you, just large enough to hold a single cabin. Perhaps, this was where God resided. Though this was nothing like Asia told him it would look like. Shrugging, Tatsuo made his way over there, and as he did, he took note of the smell. Crisp, salty air made it´s way into his lungs. It was refreshing. So this was how the sea smelled like? He shook his head. He may be dead, but that didn´t mean that he had time for this nonsense. He hastened his step, and once he arrived at the dock, he took a minute to examine the ship._

 _It was made entirely of wood, with a large sail hissed over what seemed to be the one cabin that it could hold. The window was closed, only dark being visible. It looked like any old model of a sailing ship. He tried to look for a name. He found it, but for some reason, it was blurry and unreadable. The only letters he could make out were ´_ **Agnès, …beloved…peace.´** _Between were many undecipherable words, which piqued his curiosity, but not enough for him to care about it, especially not with the more pressing matter at hand. He walked onto the ship, and was immediately greeted by the door, right next to the dock. How convenient. He lifted his hand, and knocked. After but a few seconds, it was opened, and something weird stood in front of him. It was a weird, white silhouette of a person, with no features. Yet he could tell that he/she/God was in shock, from it´s posture._ "But…how…why…you…!" _Hang on just a minute. He recognized that voice._

"Well, shit…´sup, Tatsuo? Welcome to the other half of our mind. Do make yourself at home." _Yep, it was Instinct. He walked into the cabin, and was shown a seat at a table, a small wooden one, like the rest of the ship. It had some notes on it, but they were taken off rather quickly. Once the both of them were seated, Instinct began to talk._ "I would offer you something to drink, but, ya know. All in your head. Won´t exactly matter if I do. Mainly because I can´t. I´ll get straight to the point. What are you doing here? Wondering about the barricade?" _Tatsuo explained the situation, how he had affirmed his love with Akeno, but was immediately confronted by his guilt in the blinding of Koneko, who then decided to confess to him, and how his guilt made him commit suicide. Instinct just sat back and listened, his non-existent expression never changing, though his grunts, snorts, and sighs were enough to communicate his opinions on the matter. Finally, once Tatsuo was done with the story, Instinct began to scratch his head as he sighed, seemingly in frustration, before standing up._ "Alright. I want you to listen closely to me. Just listen, sit back, and think about what I´m about to say." _He said, before violently kicking over the table and grabbing his other half by the neck, smashing him into the ground in an instant._

"You stupid, dense, selfless idiot! Why do you insist on taking responsibility for something you had no part in, much less could actually stop?! It was Koneko´s fault that that happened to her! She let down her guard, not you! You were busy fighting off a much larger threat, something that might have not blinded her, but outright killed her!" _He screamed with all his might, pummelling Tatsuo over and over again, miraculously not breaking anything in the cabin. There was enough power behind each strike to cause large waves to begin on the water. With each strike, Tatsuo lost a little more of his breath, and soon the world began to turn dark._

"You assume that you are responsible for them, that you are the one that must protect them from every last thing before they become ´adults´! You know what?! If they never actually fight themselves and learn of the dangers in a fight, then they´ll never become those ´adults´ you want them to be! And that's what you want, too, isn´t it?! You just want to feel superior to them for their entire life!" _With a grunt, Instinct began his last assault, the punches stronger than ever. Tatsuo could barely remain conscious, much less aware of the pain. But those words, he could hear loud and clear. Instinct calmed down significantly after the final assault, taking a moment to take a breath for the last part of his speech._

"Tatsuo. There is something I want you to learn. Selflessness is bad for you. Remember that one guy with the principle that an action is only morally valuable if you yourself actually do not only not benefit from it, but actually lose something because of it? Well, I want to tell you a little something. That right there is the path to self-destruction. You´ve experienced as much. So I want you to just be as selfish as you can for a while. Enjoy yourself, and don´t feel guilty about it. Those books are mostly written by idealistic fools. They never actually adhered to those rules they wrote down. So if you enjoy a fight, then trust that the others can take care of themselves." _He continued, getting off of the man on the ground._

"You think too much for your own good. Once something like this happens, and you failed to account for it, you immediately try to end it all. It´s kind of pathetic." _Instinct stated matter-of-factly, which caused Tatsuo to clench his fist. How dare he talk about him like that?! With one quick motion, he got up, ready to return the pain he was feeling. But Instinct caught his fist with such ease that his bravado dissipated immediately. He had forgotten that Instinct was still hiding power, power far surpassing his own. Why did he even think that he had a chance?_

 _His arm slacked, and Instinct let out a tired sigh._ "Well, there you go. Act exactly like that outside this place." _He said, making Tatsuo seize up for a second._ "Just don´t use your head too much out there, and listen to your heart. For instance, if your head tells you to flip the switch, don´t do it. What I´m trying to get at is very simple. When you get out there, and those two girls cry again because of your stupidity, tell them what you feel. Well, actually, scratch that. _Show_ them what you feel." _He finished, giving the man an encouraging clap on the shoulder. Though he seemed to be sceptical._

"Oh yeah, you still think that the switch killed ya. Well, it didn´t. Only knocks you out, mainly because of me. As long as that switch is flipped, it´ll try to destroy the consciousness inside our body, but since there are two of us, it can´t identify the target. So basically, it just divides it´s power between us, which is just enough to send us to this place. You know, our mind. You can technically access it whenever you want, but I guess you don´t really know how, huh? I´ll teach you one day, but first, go back to your side. I would prefer some privacy in here. After all, this is the most literal definition of personal space, is it not?" _And with that conclusion, he threw his other half out of the cabin, slamming the door behind him. Tatsuo, to say the least, was bewildered, and a million thoughts went through his mind. Why did he feel like Instinct was right? Could he trust him? Or was this an attempt to manipulate him? Whatever it was, it was safer to not follow his advice and…_

 _In that moment, the faces of the two girls entered his head, halting all thoughts and replacing them with one, simple feeling: the urge to protect them, to cherish them, to love them. Yes, he loved them, both to an equal extent, he knew that, he_ _ **felt**_ _that, without a single doubt in his heart. He would not be able to live without them. Lifting his head, he nodded to himself, and marched forward, back to the great wall. On the other side, he saw how the darkness had begun to stir, forming larger waves that hit the walkway, but he continued on without fear. The tunnel was shock-free now, so his walk was unopposed, and once he reached the other side, he felt his heartbeat once again, reinvigorated. On the other side, Instinct watched through the window how his other half walked away, and sighed._ "I should tell him. This is a matter that threatens both our very existences, and yet…perhaps I should study this more before I make any hasty conclusions." _He muttered to himself, before bringing all the stuff back on the table, rearranging the cabin and sitting back down to review his notes._ "You´d think that because this is my mind, I wouldn´t actually have to physically move these bloody things…"

 _Tatsuo took a deep breath of the air. It smelled like some sort of flower now. How weird. He could´ve sworn that it didn´t smell like this earlier. The darkness was wilder now, but he ignored it, as the waves that hit his feet were barely higher than his toes. Instead, he focused on the heart beating in his chest. It began beating slightly faster, making feeling return to his body, as the pain began to dissipate, together with his desire to die. He had a reason worth living for. He would not let his guilt weigh him down any longer than this. He will carry it with dignity and pride. And with that in mind, he closed his eyes, feeling the comforting sounds and the smell of the dark disappear._

With a start, Tatsuo awoke. It took him a while to adjust back to his senses, but even before he did, he felt for his heart. It was beating. He quickly flipped the switch, not wanting to have that bite him in the arse later. Once he had dealt with that, he took a second to examine his surroundings. He was in his room, from what he could tell, lying on his bed. As much as he wanted to curse his friends for not putting him on the couch, he ignored it for now, and lifted himself up. Looking around the room, he took note of how things seemed to be…different. It was no longer morning, or noon, it was dusk. In addition, his desk seemed to have been cleaned up, and the bookshelves were completely tidied up, with the exception of a single book.

Weirded out, he decided to leave his room, and once he opened the door, he found out why his room was so tidy. He could hear the sobbing in the living room, from not just one, but many people. He knew who they were, and already could tell that this would be awkward. They probably thought he was dead, and here he was, just standing up like it was nothing. With a deep breath, he closed the door behind him, and stepped into the living room. Issei and Asia were sitting together, Levia-tan was trying to comfort Akeno, same with Rias and Koneko, and generally, the sight was simply depressing. He couldn´t make a sound, he was so moved. He never knew how much they cared. Mustering up all of his courage, he knocked on the door frame. Everything went silent as the devils took notice of him. For a moment that felt like it lasted forever, all they did was stare at each other.

Just as he was about to make a move, he was tackled to the ground by two of them, and even without looking, he knew who they were. They both called him an idiot over and over as they held onto him, and he let them. He made a stupid mistake which upset his friends greatly; the least he could do is let them vent their anger at him. After a brief second, the others jumped in as well, and he felt air becoming rather sparse, though he still made no move that may ruin this moment. This lasted for about ten minutes, before some of them finally began letting go, and he managed to get a breath of air. How he held on so long, he would never know. After another five minutes, the only two that were still hanging on were the two that were closest to him. With a quick gesture, he signalled the others to remain here, as he lifted himself up and carried the Queen and the Rook to his room, without them ever breaking their hold on him. The others agreed, though their expressions varied. Some showed nothing but contempt, others were simply happy that he was back.

Once the trio was inside his room, he shut the door, and went over to his bed, where he took a seat, still holding the two girls. As he went to comfort them, he received two slaps on each of his cheeks. Looking at their faces, he saw the pain he had caused them. The agony. Deciding that there was only one way to atone, he motioned for them to hit him again. And they did. About three times each. His cheeks were sore after that, but he deserved it. Though he did wonder how Koneko hit it with such pinpoint accuracy, her being blind and all. So, now here he was, holding two teenage girls in his arms that were also his students, and needed something to break the ice. Because, believe it or not, the situation was a tiny bit awkward.

So he stood up, and put them down on the bed, and went over to the chair next to his desk. Koneko was having her hand held by her senior, just to make sure she never felt alone in the eternal dark that he´d trapped her in. His heart began to beat faster, probably a side effect of the huge guilt he bore now. But instead of crumbling before it, he embraced it instead, and sat down in said chair. Now was when the hard part began. He couldn´t talk, so he couldn´t exactly communicate his feelings the way it usually went. So instead, he thought of other ways. After a while, he figured it out. He opened a drawer in his desk, and searched for it. It had to be here somewhere…

Akeno watched in interest as he scavenged his drawers for something, though she had no idea what it could be. Just what was he doing? Right now, he should be in her place, comforting Koneko, not searching for some random object! Though she only harboured that thought because of the fact that she knew already of the feelings he had for her. They felt the same way about each other. At least, that was what she gleamed from that kiss. If it was some sort of comfort from wherever she came from – she should stop thinking about it. She knew that he had a plan, and trusted him to be able to love her and comfort Koneko at the same time.

Finally, he found it. He pulled it out, and picked up a pencil. When Akeno saw what it was, she gasped, drawing the younger devil´s attention. She asked what her senior was so excited about, but received no answer. Koneko could make out the sound of a pencil on paper, but it was light, so the pencil was being barely applied, kind of like the way she drew things in art class. Then, the sound got a lot rougher as Tatsuo appeared to push harder onto the paper that he held. After a good minute, the sound ceased, and another one entered her ears, one that vaguely sounded like scissors. He was cutting through whatever he had drawn. But why? She had already figured that he drew something to communicate with her somehow, but why destroy it in the very next second?

It was then that she was handed something. It felt like paper. So this was the art he created specifically for her and destroyed? Akeno gasped again, and, with a small delay, guided her junior´s hands around the paper in her hand. It had a straight outline, until a certain point, where it curved very strong, and then it repeated said curve, only mirrored on the other side, followed by another straight line, which connected with the other at the bottom end. What she held, was a heart. Her emotions began to overwhelm her as she began to tremble at the implications.

Her hand continued to be guided across the confession, onto the surface he had drawn something on, and then she realized why he had been so rough earlier. Now his drawings where carved into the paper, allowing her to actually feel them, and she felt two things that made her tremble even harder as she tried to supress the tears, of which she had shed far too many at this point. Some part of her still wanted to retain her dignity, which she had all but lost after having bawled nonstop for hours, but that faltered when she felt her portrait on the heart, the heart he had clearly labelled as **MINE**.

She held his heart close to her chest as a bright smile took over her features, one that was born from the sheer bliss of being loved. It was the first time she had ever truly felt so good. And with that, she held up a hand, and without a single second of delay, she felt his warmth clasp it. Lifting her face, she pulled him in with a sudden rise in force, enveloping him in a heartfelt hug that was so very different from the one from earlier. Placing her head on his chest, she heard it. His heartbeat.

" _I´m glad."_ She whispered, as her hidden appendages appeared on her head and lower back, respectively. _"I guess you already know about this, huh?"_ She continued, and she felt him nod, as his heartbeat got slightly faster. She contemplated on whether or not to tell him, but any doubts were quickly banished. This was Tatsuo she was opening herself up to. There would be no issue. So, she opened her mouth, and began telling her tale, her ears, both the human/devilish ones as well as the animalistic ones, tightly pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, the steady pounding calming her as she told of the traumatic she had years ago.

She had no family, no one to keep her safe at her young age safe her sister, who was seven years older than her, and together, they lived on the streets of hell, picking up the garbage of the higher class and barely scraping by. Every so often, they would be spotted by some servant, and would have to run from the police. Back then, the sisters thought that they were only bad men that would attempt to kill them for sport, but today, Koneko knew that it was probably because they were trespassing, and might actually have gotten help from the authorities. Usually, they would get away safely, but one night, it was different.

After having stolen the leftovers of the aristocrats as usual, they got food poisoning from their meals within the hour. And lucky as they were, they were seen by a passing butler, and due to their sickness, they weren´t quick enough, and in order to get away, her sister picked her up, and using all her strength to carry Koneko, she unleashed her latent magic power, which made her speed rise up to Jetstream levels, and using the dark alleys between the houses, they their relief was short lived, as her sister collapsed, having exhausted herself to near death. Desperately, the young Koneko tried to shake her, call her name, anything that might wake her up. And yet, those eyes remained shut. It was then that _he_ appeared.

A large, looming figure that easily dwarfed them both, dressed in a black leather coat and a cylinder, the collar and brim of the clothes obscuring his face, save for one golden-framed monocle that glistened in the dark. Her fingers tightened around Tatsuo as she thought about the sheer pain this man had inflicted on her over the years. A patented pat on the head by her newfound lover(without the sexual connotation, pervert) calmed her down, and with a deep breath, she resumed, her muscles tensing, though she made sure to not try and hurt Tatsuo as he stroked her head with a lovingly tender touch.

The man, whom she would later find out to be a noble, was looking them up and down, judging them. Back then, she was too frightened of him to notice, but over the course of time, she found out that he was not caring about their current situation, but rather their bodies and the race it adhered to. It was right about now that she noticed that Tatsuo´s heartbeat was quickening to scary levels, but after a quick question about it, it slowed down together with his breath, and with that worry gone, she continued her story, glad that he cared so much. He offered them a hand, telling her that he would help her sister, and would give the two a place to call home. At first, she was too scared to do anything. But her sister´s coughing rapidly brought her back to her senses. She would not lose the one thing that gave her life any meaning. She immediately begged for the man to save her big sister, and she swore that she could see a toothy grin in the dark between his hat and collar, before he opened his coat, and pulled out a red piece of wood. As it would turn out, that was an Evil Piece.

That night, her sister was saved, but to pay him back, the two had to serve him for eternity. Or rather, her sister did. He told Koneko that she was free to leave at any point, though he knew without a doubt that she´d stay. There was no way that she would leave without her sibling. And so, the two worked for him, day in, day out. The younger sibling was taught by the servants how to be a maid, and while some of them were nice, they all had a weird attitude when talking to her, probably because there were no people her age in the manor. Or possibly due to her ears and tail. Her sister, on the other hand, was trained in controlling the magic powers she´d been granted, and though she came back bruised and beaten each day, she always kept a warm smile on her face, telling her younger sister to not worry.

Of course, since she was a child back then, Koneko just took her by her word and did what kids did. Demand a bed time story, ask to play hide and seek, that sort of thing. Albeit the fact that they were not allowed to leave the room at any point restricted the play area quite a bit. So when she asked him the next day whether she could play outside in the gigantic garden with her sister, she incited his rage, receiving a resounding slap to the face. He denied her instantly, and told her supervisor to have a shackle binding the two of them together, before leaving to train her sister again.

She wanted to cry back then, but the maid shushed her, knowing full well that it would only cause her more pain. And so, she withheld her tears, until her day was over. Even then, she remained shackled to her bed, and when her sister saw her in the evening that day, she had a furious outburst. Though she calmed down when she realized that there was nothing to be done. So instead, the two took to telling each other stories they´d heard from their co-workers and made jokes about them to cheer themselves up. Like how the oldest butler´s face literally looked like a potato with a tomato nose. Or how one of the Knights acted like he was an actual knight, talking in such a silly dialect and making bold declarations all the time. Like how he would woo the newest recruit, i.e. the older sister. Of course, that always ended with him getting rejected. Hard. So their evening went by, and the next morning, they felt just as good as usual. Even if Koneko had a dark blue spot on her cheek, but she could deal with it, so even with her sister´s overbearing attitude, she managed to convince her that it wasn´t that bad.

But they both knew that it was. The two started noticing all those tiny things that were off after that day, that they might have shrugged off a day before. The fact that there were guards posted on the inside of the castle, but when they looked out the windows, the entire surrounding area was wholly devoid of any protection. The high-pitched, distant echoes of screaming children that came from the cellar. Or the very big issue that lay in the fact that they were forced to wear "magic bracelets" that apparently were only meant to signify their servitude to the master of the house, yet they had never seen these in any other noble house they had "visited" during their life on the road. Also, the occasional beep, accompanied by the blink in the gemstone embedded in the silver metal did not exactly comfort them. At first, they did their best to ignore it, but one night, months after their rescue, it all changed. Koneko was in their room, waiting for her sister to return so they could have their nightly chat, but as time passed, it became increasingly clear that she would not return. That night, she had an extraordinary hard time sleeping, mainly due to the weird creaking that echoed through the halls. The ghost stories that she had heard on the street at times made it worse.

The next morning, she went about her business as usual, although when she asked the other servants where her sister was, all she got was a shrug. They didn´t know, they said. And so, after another day of work, she went back to her room, her sister still missing. It was the next day that the lord called all servants into the dining room after he´d eaten breakfast, to make an announcement. He was paranoid about being poisoned, being a powerful man and all, and so ordered the servants to permanently stay outside while he dined. Now though, he announced that a guest would arrive the next day, a cousin of his that was even more powerful than him, both in magic and political issues, and so demanded that they work even harder than usual. Of course, that night, too, her sister was gone. And again, the creaking noises returned, making her unable to sleep a single second. This, of course, resulted in her motor skills being reset to that of a toddler once she got up. The rest of the story writes itself: once the guest arrived, she was ordered to bring the lords a drink, and as she was placing the glasses on the table, her hand slipped, and the glass of wine she was holding fell to the floor, staining the black carpet in a red hue. For a minute, there was only silence. Then, before anyone else could say anything, the guest began chuckling to himself.

" _You´re quite cute. What´s your name?"_ He asked, and she meekly replied:

" _Sh – Shirone…"_

" _That´s a nice name. It is a pleasure to meet you, Shirone-chan."_

As the red haired guest retracted his arm, he told her that everyone makes mistakes, and that she should not let herself be bothered by it. She had a mild blush on by then, both from the embarrassment of messing up and the fact that the guest was actually rather handsome. His robes also exuded an aura of power and majesty. Perhaps this was one of the Great Satans she had heard about. The Rulers of Hell…she had no time to ponder it, as her master immediately began apologizing, and saying that he would punish her later, even though the redhead made it clear that there was no need. She was then led out the room by the head butler, although not before giving an ashamed bow to the man, who just smiled at her gently. As the door closed behind her, she vaguely heard something about a dying race, whatever that was. To this day, she had no idea what the men were talking about. But that wasn´t that important. Because after a few hours, after being locked in her room again, the aristocrat came by to fetch her, saying that they´d be doing some "special training". As it turned out, "special training" might have been a misleading choice of words. "Absolute violation" would have been far more fitting.

" _Well then, since you made me lose face through your incompetence, it seems that I must teach you proper manners."_ Those were the words he said to her, before locking her in his dungeon with himself, and mercilessly whipping her over and over again as punishment. She saw his true face now that he had taken off his coat and hat, which always struck her as excessive amounts of clothing. But as she saw his face, it became crystal clear why he hid it to such an extent. The left half of his face was scratched, eternally scarred by vicious claws, his left iris completely whitened, and his red hair only served to put those scars even more into focus. His mouth was curled up into a twisted grin, and his arms seemed to move by themselves, like wild, aggressive snakes, following no pattern, with the intent of getting as much mileage out of every swing as possible. He did not care that she was barely ten years old. All he cared about was that she had shamed him in front of a powerful member of the elite. But why? Obviously, the guest did not care about it, so why did he?

She did not deserve this. And yet, the torment lasted for an eternity. She knew that he would not stop until she was dead. She had seen the other cells on the way down. The others that were trapped down here, the agony they had suffered in this death trap, their stories was written in the stone in their blood. This would be it. But even still, she cried out for help between each swing. Her sister would come and save her, right? She always did. After all, it was her reliable, protective sister she was talking about here! She would never abandon her! With every cry for help came one of pain as the whip hit it´s mark, and with every cry of pain came a round of crazed laughter from her tormenter as he swung again. _"Yes, you little bitch! Cry for help! Beg for your filthy, inbred sister to come and save you! Scream! Scream more! Suffer!"_ He screamed between his mad cackling, and she continued her futile struggle.

Eventually, though, her throat became coarse, and her will to resist began to fade. She had been abandoned. Her sister was probably long gone. She would not be saved. She was just waiting for the next crack at this point, the pain being the only proof that she was still alive. She thought about praying to God just to spite the man beside her, but her sister had been strictly against that when she asked whether she was allowed to do so long time ago. However, said sister had abandoned her. There was nothing stopping her now.

…suffice to say, praying to God did nothing. She received no answer, nothing. All she received was a harsh wakeup call in the form of the leather biting into her torn flesh once more. She had stopped screaming at this point. She had just accepted her death. But something was off. After that last one, the whiplashes had stopped. She looked up, and saw it. The fully erect member of the man trying to murder her. It was staring her right in the face, and innocent as she was at the time, she had no idea what it even was. _"Suck it."_ He said, but she shook her head. Whatever it was, it stank and the thought of having that in her mouth physically repulsed her to the point where she pushed herself back with all the puny strength remaining in her tiny body.

He was displeased, and punched her in the gut, and repeated the order. _"Suck it, you little rodent!"_ He was pushing it into her cheek, trying to get her to open her mouth. However, she kept up her semblance of a resistance, and as he began to realize that his efforts were in vain, his rage reached a new height, and at that peak, he thought calmly about the situation. His sadistic grin returned. _"Fine. If you don´t want to, then don´t."_ He declared, before lowering his head to the level of hers, and whispered into her ear. _"I´ll just use your other."_ And with that, he tore off the last of her clothes, which were but pitiful red scraps at this point. Koneko herself did not do a thing to resist. She simply lacked the strength to. Then, with a predatory look in his eyes, the aristocrat walked around her in circles, looking her up and down. Then, after a few rounds, whilst standing behind her, he spanked her, and though she was surprised and confused about his actions, mainly due to her lack of knowledge about anything sexual at the time, she did not make a sound, as her dry throat and near death state made her unable to speak.

His cackles slowly died down as he began feeling her up, his bloodied hands gleefully massaging her wounded body, taking pleasure in making her feel even more pain. Slowly but surely, his movements became more erratic, and focused on her sensitive areas, which became more and more red as he became more and more excited. She shuddered as it began feeling weird, and then, once he took notice of her shaking, he stopped. _"Wouldn't want you to feel too good without servicing me, now would we?"_ He said, poking her butt with his…his thing.

Today, just thinking about it made her angry beyond recognition. Her expression was twisted into a grimace that made her usually adorable doll-like features resemble those of a doll out of a horror movie. And _not_ a low budget one. In addition, her limbs cramped up, digging into Tatsuo´s skin, who took the pain without flinching as he let her vent all those pent up emotions. He himself wanted to personally gut that disgusting piece of shit as well, but held his anger back. Him getting riled up would not solve anything. He needed to remain the anchor that kept his love from slipping off into the abyss. If you spilled your heart out, you needed someone to lend an ear and just listen, at least, according to those psychology books on the shelf. And since he had nothing else for reference besides his similar exchange with Akeno earlier, which he used the same book as reference for, he was inclined to put her sanity in his hands, guided by the professional´s advice.

She resumed her story, and told him that after the point where he laid his dirty member on her body, everything was murky and unclear, her tiny body permanently tense. After being stimulated in all those ways against her will, her eyes were unfocused, directed at the floor due to her neck not being able to hold her head up any longer. Her blood, which had turned the once white maid uniform completely red, had formed a large puddle on the floor. The cell was very dimly lit, but she could make out her reflection. And his. His sadistic, toothy grin gleamed like a bright light in the twilight, and he leaned over her, placing his head on her shoulder, bringing his hated face even more into her weak focus. _"Do you feel it? The repulsing pleasure of being touched by someone who has tortured you for what feels like an eternity? Tell me, do you enjoy it, Shirone-chan?"_ He drew that last part out for a good five seconds, as he made his hand trail down her back, making her shiver in that feeling he talked about – albeit less repulsive due to her emotional trauma and more because of the physical one.

" _Shirone-chan, I quite like you, you know. So I will make you feel_ _ **really**_ _good before I kill you."_ He spoke huskily, before slowly beginning to chuckle to himself as he lifted himself up, and, using his thumbs, pressed up her buttcheeks, exposing her most private of parts. His chuckling became more and more maddened as seconds passed, and soon, it devolved into mad cackling that echoed off of the walls. _"Oh, I can hardly await this! Here I come, Shi –"_

The man never finished his sentence as Koneko saw the reflection of a shadowy hand grabbing hold of his face, and the noises his voice made devolved even further, replacing any semblance of emotion with pure, all-consuming pain, which he let out in one loud, heart-wrenching scream. At least, it would´ve been heart-wrenching if he deserved any semblance of pity. But both the shadow and Koneko knew that he didn´t, and besides, the latter was too far gone to muster any coherent thought or feeling. She could vaguely hear the shadow cry out to her as she was unbound and fell into the pool of her own blood, completely blinding her, and as she was turned around, she began losing consciousness, finally. The final words she heard that night were _"Don´t worry, everything will be alright. I´m here…"_

"And after that, I awoke in a prison cell. As it turned out, my sister had gone mad with power and killed her master, burning down his mansion after that, including all the innocent servants inside. She became a stray devil after that, one of the most wanted, with the highest bounty to date. She has still not been apprehended…but of course, my torment does not end there. Why would it?!" Koneko spoke, becoming louder and louder with every sentence, Akeno quickly casting a silencing spell to prevent anything from leaking out of this room, and Tatsuo silently acknowledged it by giving a subtle, quick thumbs-up before focusing on the girl in his arms.

"The high society then decides that because my sister lost her sanity, that I should be killed to prevent this sort of thing from happening again! Even when I told them all about what that man did, they shrugged it off as a fever dream that I subconsciously interpreted as real because of the murderer being my sister! Even with my scars as proof, they…they…!" She continued, and as she became understandably angrier, she let go of Tatsuo, and began venting her frustration with the absurdity of it all by vigorously beating the nearest object/person. In this case, Tatsuo, who choked with every hit, as she put all her magically enhanced strength into every last punch, and she seemed to surpass her limits with each one of them, making it harder and harder for our hero to breathe.

"They wanted to execute me immediately, but in the end, the Gremorys intervened…they were the only ones who believed me, as they were the bastard´s relatives and were always suspicious of him…that was how I met the President…her brother, Lord Sirzechs, was the one who saved me…heehee, we had already met after all, in the manor when I made that mistake…he vouched for me and introduced me to the President, and forced me onto her. All these years, she cared for me like I was family, and still…I never even thanked her…not even once…" The waterworks were overflowing, and the punches were replaced by her tail wrapping around her lover and pulling him even closer as she showed her most vulnerable side. "Sis, however…she needs to die…for the servants. They might not have been exceptionally nice to me, but they were innocent. Also, as part of the peerage of a Gremory, it is my duty to hunt down the murderer of one of the family´s members…as much as it hurts…she lost sanity, _and needs to be brought to justice…_ " She sniffled as she finally spoke out her innermost desire, her one goal in life.

" _I want to see sis again…I want to thank her for saving me…and help her…"_

All the while, Tatsuo was keeping up his loving touch, holding her close as he stroked her head, and as she ended her story, he tightened his hold, making sure to dry up her tears. She would never cry out of sadness again after this, he would make sure of that. From this day forward, he would ensure that her face be always brightened by a smile. He would work all day and all night for the rest of his life for that goal. No matter what. They stayed in this embrace for a good while. At some point, the sun set, and the room slowly turned dark. After having poured out her soul to her lover, Koneko fell asleep, peacefully dozing on the bed, having been lain down by Tatsuo and covered by the Queen, and the man held her hand, ensuring that no nightmares haunted her that night. "So, when will you let her feel the rest of your heart, Mister Samurai?" Akeno asked seriously for once, referring to the fact that her portrait had also been drawn on it, however, without any pressure, so Koneko had no chance to find out about his love for the Queen. Tatsuo just pointed at the desk, where a second piece of paper lay, which the Queen picked up with interest. He had drawn a face that was holding a finger in front of it´s mouth, the classic shush emoji.

As she looked at it, she began feeling…thrilled. "Oh my. Are you proposing what I think you´re proposing? You think we should have an secret affair? Cheating from day one? Heeheehee…" She giggled to herself, before, surprisingly, not being hit by a magazine. She waited, eyes closed, but the sensation never came. She opened her eyes, and saw the look in his. "…you´re serious about this." She stated, matter-of-factly, eliciting a small nod from Tatsuo. She sighed. On one hand, she felt ecstatic at the prospect of a relationship with her love, especially that darker side of hers that she´d accepted by now, but on the other…"I won´t complain about it. But at least tell me your plans for telling her about this." She asked, motioning toward the Rook, who was lightly snoring. Tatsuo looked at the sleeping girl, petting her head, making her purr quietly as her smile widened a bit. He was handed a notebook and pen, and again, he drew a single picture.

It was a cat that was sitting on the edge of a cliff, with an arrow pointing to a beachhouse where the cat now sat on solid ground.

Akeno quickly understood what it meant, admiring the fact that he could draw this quickly before dropping it and hugging him from behind, huskily whispering into his ear. _"Well, then, how about we get a bit more intimate?"_ Tatsuo did a double take at that. That was such a radical change from before. But he sighed. That was one of the things he loved about her. He grabbed the notebook and slapped her on the head, forcing her off of him. Then, with one smooth motion, he opened the book and placed it on the bed, scribbling another picture into it.

It was an arrow pointing at a pair of pants.

"You know, if we ever play charade, I want you on my team." Akeno said as she quickly guessed what he was telling her. He simply ignored what he said as he had no idea what charade was, and instead took to observing the sleeping Koneko. The Queen, knowing that she would not get any other answer out of him, decided to not just leave the two alone. If this threesome – ahem, love triangle were to be resolved in a way that satisfied everyone, then she and the Rook needed to warm up to each other more. So she stood up, and crawled over to the other side of the bed, ignoring Tatsuo´s protests/attacks with the notebook, though they did hurt a bit, and once she had crawled over the sleeping girl, she pulled the covers over herself, and hugged her from behind, not dissimilar to the way she had hugged the other younger member of the peerage earlier that day.

Though the fact that said girl muttered _"damn cow"_ in her sleep gave her the vibe that this would be problematic. And Tatsuo, understanding what she was trying to do, appreciated the effort, but had trouble containing his chuckles when he heard the young devil say that. And while Akeno was rather miffed, neither she nor the man would have it any other way. After all, this would be the moment when their romance would finally begin.

 **Good fucking lord this took ages to write. So, this would be the point where I write something witty, but, you know…that would ruin this whole moment. Review if you feel inclined, but I doubt that I´ll answer them anytime soon.**

 **You see, I will now introduce a new system to manage my crossovers: a set point in the story will be selected, and until I reach that point, I will only be writing for that specific story. This point was the one I chose for this one, as I believe that this is usually where a season of a series would usually end.**

 **Giving you some closure whilst making you tear out your hair as you wait for more. Yeah, I think I nailed the feeling that the season finales give you not only in that sentence, but also in the story.**

 **So, I hope you´ve enjoyed The path of the Unbound Stranger so far, and I hope to write for it again soon! …still need to come up with a better title.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Happy birthday to you.**

 **Happy birthday to you.**

 **Happy birthday The path of the Unbound Stranger.**

 **Happy birthday to you.**

 **If you managed to sing that in tune, especially line 3, congrats. We just successfully butchered a song. Anyways, hi! It´s me! congresscrab! And today is a very special day! It´s when our beloved jumble of words, The path of the Unbound Stranger, turns one year old! It feels just like yesterday that I wrote the first chapter, a young, unwitting lad fathering a child (if children were just a bunch of signs stuck together at random), and look at me now. Just as unwitting as I was back then, but a whole year older. Of course, I didn´t get any more responsible.**

 **BECAUSE FUCK THAT SHIT!**

 **In all seriousness though, I wonder why you waste all this precious time reading the weirdass crossover that this is. I honestly have no idea how this even worked out as well as it did up until now, but here we are. So, to everyone that has joined this story (/community if you will), thank you. Thank you again, in fact. And since three time´s the charm, thank you. Wherever you are, know that you made a silly teenager quite happy.**

 **So then, because of this very special occasion, I will give you guys a choice. I will start a poll once this thing goes up, and you will get two votes to vote on the following:**

 **I go over the earlier chapters (1-10), and clean them up in terms of grammar and spelling. It will slow updates a small bit.**

 **I don´t.**

 **I write lemons at some point in the story.**

 **I don´t.**

 **So pick your poison! Anyways, one last thing before we get back to the gang. Can you guess it? You probably can´t, can you? Oh. Oh, that´s correct. Well, there goes the effect. REVIEW TIME!**

 **dayday99990: I do appreciate it that you say that. I needed that, especially with me finishing up the season of the other story, that was a really nice boost to get me back to writing about our favourite teacher and his shenanigans.**

 **Well, that was rather quick.**

 **OFF WE GO! (Also, 8700+ words on a chapter that isn´t a view milestone. You guys are killing me.)**

A tantalizing warmth hit Tatsuo´s face, begging for him to open his eyes, only for him to close them again once he gave in. The sun was shining right on his face, making him grunt in annoyance as he slowly arose from his slumber. He stretched, yawning as he began to regain full control over his tired body. It took a second for him to realize that the girls were no longer in his bed. He stood up, snapping a few bones into place as he did, intending to search for them. Though perhaps sitting in an uncomfortable position as you sleep wasn´t the best of ideas, as that sounded rather unhealthy and was quite loud. After looking at the clock, he realized that it was just about time for him to get ready. He would have more than enough time to have breakfast before heading to work, because as much as he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend(s), he had to actually do his job.

He walked up to the door, opened it, and was greeted by a whiff of deliciously sweetened air. It was saturated with the smell of an unhealthy, fattening, tasty breakfast. Licking his lips, he dashed into the living room, fully expecting to see a wonderful meal cooked by his beloved Queen behind the counter. What he got was a little different from his expectations. The kitchen looked like a huge battle had just taken place, the walls were coated in white dust, the floor had a few bits of egg yolk laying on it, and worst of all, someone spilled milk everywhere! He had to be extremely careful to not step into it. Furious, his eyes darted about the room, trying to find who was responsible for wasting these precious ingredients.

He didn´t get far with that, though, as his eyes were covered from behind, and he was pulled away from the entry of the kitchen. Hard. He nearly flew through the wall, there was that much force behind that pull, but he was stopped as easily as he was moved, turned around, and finally, he felt himself being pushed onto his holy spot on the couch. Having caught up to the transpiring events after the familiar sensation registered, his brain immediately gave the command to yank off the hands on his eyes. The second he did, he heard a loud yelp, and his roommate entered his field of vision. She pouted as she pulled out her hands from his grip, and held them as if they hurt. "Stupid meanie…that hurt." She muttered, ignoring his annoyed gaze. He heard a sigh coming from the seat next to him, and turned to see Rias sitting there, her palm on her face.

"And you wonder why your sister doesn´t want to meet you in public…"

"Wait, she doesn´t? But why?! I'm the best sister anyone could ask for! I´m cute, fun to be around, popular, and to top it all off, I´m cute!"

"You forgot childish. Also, you said cute twice."

Levia-tan held a finger to her chin, seemingly thinking very hard to try and recall whether Rias was right. After a few seconds, in which her expression went from a thoughtful one, to one that showed her surprise, accompanied by a small gasp, then ended with an embarrassed expression in which she stuck her tongue out. Her response was exactly what the two expected. "Oops."

The King sighed again. "Anyways, Tatsuo. I will not ask about what you did yesterday." His hands were clenched into fists as he remembered his stupid mistake. "It was your decision, and while I want to slap for what you almost did to my family, if you make them happy, then I will forgive you." He nodded in shame, though he did raise an eyebrow when the devil leaned in closely to his ear, and whispered into it in a very threatening tone. _"Also, Akeno told me about your situation. Don´t screw this up. If Koneko cries because of you, I´ll teach you just why they call me the Ruin Princess."_ Inside, he chuckled, as he knew she could never beat him in a fight, but responded by nodding again, as he wouldn´t contest the sentiment of what she said. If Koneko or Akeno ever cried again because of his mistakes, he would accept any punishment the devil would deem appropriate, besides death, of course, as that would only serve to cause more sorrow in his loves´ hearts. After seeing his gesture of shame, Rias became a lot more cheerful, wearing a smile as she drank a sip of coffee.

"On to more happy topics, the school has given us another pass for the day. We´re free to do whatever." Tatsuo raised an eyebrow. Today was Friday, meaning it was the last day before the weekend. He would rather his students attend school when they could. Guessing his thoughts, the devil set down her cup, turning on the TV. "Just in time." She muttered to herself, as the news had just begun, and the reporter was talking about the tornado that happened the day before. Knowing what the cause was, they felt ever so slightly awkward as the presenter asked for more details, but only got the answer that no meteorologist ever saw this coming, and that no one can provide a real answer to it. He then made the announcement that the schools would be closed for the day, in order to give the students time to recover from the shock.  
Another report about some astrological phenomenon was about to be aired, but Rias shut off the television, and continued talking. "And obviously, with the students free for a day, there will be tons of shops open, trying to capitalize on it. And I thought that I might as well grant their wish." In response, the teacher nodded, though he made it clear that on Monday, he will forcefully drag them to their lessons if necessary. After giving the devil a quick look, he noted a small gleam in her eye. A questioning look yielded a quick response.

"You know how our trip is tomorrow, right? Well, I thought that I should help out our younger maidens in their choice of attire. I doubt any of them have a swimsuit that is not issued by the school." Even though she spoke rather happily about the prospect of going shopping, it took no time for her to realize that she just stepped on extremely thin ice, as the couch itself seemed to harden just as Tatsuo´s expression did. She gulped, and quickly added that she would not pick something overly exhibitionist for Asia and Koneko, though she would not make any promises about Akeno´s choice. As she spoke her friends´ name, she held a hand to her mouth, and immediately changed the subject, unaware that he was distracted by the fact that Instinct didn´t immediately burst out cheering upon hearing that. Something must be troubling him. Rias snapped her fingers and her teacher back to reality, and continued.

"Another thing; Asia´s birthday is today. I only found out about it a few days ago, and I wanted to tell you, but then there was the incident with the angel, so that put it on hold. Anyways, since you are not working today, you should go out and find a present for her. I´ll make sure to tell the others, and tomorrow, at the beach, we´ll throw a party for her." Upon seeing his worried look, she took a guess as to what he was worried about, and continued. "My family will take care of the expenses for that, so don´t worry. Just use the money we put on your bank account for the present. I know you don´t want to be in our debt forever, seeing as you got a job of your own volition, but you do not have to beat yourself up about it." She finished by having another sip of coffee, using the cup to hide her relieved expression. It was good that she managed to stop his attention from drifting toward the other two. It would spoil the surprise.  
Meanwhile, he was processing what the devil had just said, and he racked his brain for good ideas for a present, his worries being dispelled, for now, anyways. Jewelry, perhaps? Expensive, and the blonde didn´t strike him as someone who wore it anyways. Maybe he could buy her a plush toy? He could think of something better. Something that had to do with her Christianity, like a Holy Handgrenade, perhaps? No bunnies around to throw it at and he doubted that she would actually appreciate such a destructive object. As he continued brooding, he remembered the mess in the kitchen. Dammit, he let himself be distracted! He stood up in a flash, dashing through his roommate´s arms, ignoring their pleas for him to wait. He jumped over the counter, ready to give whoever was responsible a good talking to.

It was Koneko, wearing a pink apron over her usual attire. Blinking, Tatsuo stopped in his tracks, ignoring his feet which were right inside the milk. As he stared, he took notice of Akeno standing at the younger devil´s side, watching her movements. "A little to the right." Koneko moved her hand to the right, scraping something inside a pan. She hissed as she accidentally hit the edge of the frying pan, which was sizzling away. Upon seeing this, the teacher made a step forward, to treat her burn, but was stopped when the Queen pointed a finger, crackling with lightning toward the puddle on the ground. She held another finger to her smiling lips, and looked back at the Rook.  
"It´s done. Put it on the plate." She spoke, the younger devil taking the pan from the stove and feeling her way over to a plastic plate that lay on the counter next to him. He pushed it forward with a smile, and stopped it right before her hand, which found it in the next second. Upon finding it, the Rook smiled to herself, and edged closer to it, oblivious to the puddle of milk on the floor. Tatsuo stepped back, and looked on as the Queen continued to give her directions to make sure the breakfast Koneko had so arduously worked to prepare didn´t go to waste. Eventually, the cushion of a meal fell into the plate, and the teacher pushed the butter sitting close to him into her reach, which she then put onto her creation, finishing the pancake. Once she was told that there was nothing left to do, the young devil silently cheered to herself, and Tatsuo could swear that he heard her muttering about how "The stupid cow was wrong after all."

"Alright, now then, Koneko-chan. Tatsuo is right there."

He didn´t know if the Queen had heard the comment and stated his presence out of spite, or if it was just her usual sadism, but Koneko jumped at that, nearly falling over. She turned toward the fridge, which stood a good meter to Akeno´s left. "Wh-where?!" She nearly yelled, but restrained herself. She got her answer when a familiar warmth patted her head. She curled up into a ball, or at least as close as she got while planting her face onto the counter, and he swore that she turned a little red. "How long have you been standing there?" Came another quiet question, to which he responded by tapping her head with a single finger, for a single minute that he was present. That, apparently, made it a little better, though when she lifted her head, he saw that she was indeed as red as a tomato. She twiddled her fingers. "Um, I…I…" She stuttered, not being able to coherently express what she meant to say. He waited patiently for her to speak. "I…cooked breakfast for you…" He couldn´t hear a goddamn thing.

"What she meant to say is that she is breaking up with you."

"No! What does cooking breakfast for him got to do with-" She stopped midsentence, and turned even redder. She buried her head in her arms once again. Tatsuo simply stared. That pancake…it was for him? He looked at it. It had an irregular shape, was cooked quite unevenly, and he severely doubted that she got the correct mix, what with her being blind and all. But the simple fact that his blind girlfriend had gone through all this effort, even roping in someone whom he knew she disliked, all just to cook him breakfast, it made him feel all fuzzy on the inside as he took the fork that sat on the counter, and stabbed through the dough. It was soft, and he easily tore off a piece without needing to use a knife. The butter dripped from it as he held it in front of his face.  
After staring at it for a second, he pondered whether this would actually taste all that good. He dropped those thoughts as he bit down on it. His eyes widened as the taste oozed onto his tongue. It was the best damn pancake he´d ever sunk his teeth into. The taste was not important here, it was average at the very best. No, he felt the heartfelt effort and passion that went into making this simple, sweet meal. He swallowed it after chewing out every last bit of love that went into it, and grabbed the plate. His feet splashing into the puddle, he made his way over to the table, where he made his little nest, and just cut off all ties from the outer world as he let himself get engrossed in his meal.

Whilst he did this, Koneko was just holding out a hand, waiting for someone to tell her what was happening. "D-did you like it…?" She asked, but the only response she got was the noises of the cutlery. Eventually, a hand grabbed hers, and led her over to the table, and sat her down opposite to Tatsuo. The girl asked slightly more desperately for reaffirmation, but Akeno ignored her as she left the room with a smile on her face, jumping into the few dry spots on the floor as to not stain her socks. And so, Koneko just sat on her seat, twiddling her thumbs nervously, her only companion in the darkness being the sound of metal slicing through dough, only to be replaced by long munching.  
Eventually, just as she was about to cry out and demand that someone tell her what was going on, the room fell silent. Shortly after, the puddle splashed, and she felt something wrap around her, and the warmth that radiated off of her lover. It was as if his heart was overflowing with joy, and it was so strong that it managed to warm her as well. She felt nothing but bliss at the contact, and hugged him back. She may not be able to see his face, but she knew exactly what he was trying to tell her. There was no need for words, or sign language. They both knew exactly what the other felt.

They stayed like this for quite a while, until someone stepped into the puddle, making their heads snap toward the sound. At least, Tatsuo´s did. Koneko´s face was at an angle that would´ve made her stare right at the cupboard which contained the plates. Only Tatsuo saw that it was Asia, and after communicating this to the Rook (and the fact that she was looking the wrong way), the two just sat through the embarrassing usual that came with someone finding out that you were a couple. "I´m so happy for you two! It´s nice that you found each other… _instead of Akeno-senpai..._ " Whilst the teacher didn´t hear that last part, Koneko did, and smirked, ever so slightly as the two basked in their victory. Their alliance had, for the first time, managed to vanquish the Goddesses, in a matter of love, too! This was a crucial step in ending the rule of the big bust. Meanwhile, while the Bishop was still joyfully talking to them, Issei entered the room, and came to a full stop once he saw the two in each other´s arms. He was about to say it. A cold sweat ran down Tatsuo´s brow, but before the Pawn could speak, he received an immensely powerful electrical shock from behind, making him yelp and fall over, unconscious. Upon seeing Asia´s expression, Akeno stuck out her tongue and hit herself on the head as she apologized.

"Dear me. It seems I overdid it a tiny bit. Oh well. Come on, Koneko-chan. We´re going shopping!" The Queen declared, grabbing her target´s hand, ignoring her indignant cries, pulling her out of Tatsuo´s grip and away to the mall, presumably. He gave the older devil a wink before she was through the door, and the petite girl a small wave, though she couldn´t see it. In the next second, the King of the peerage walked into the doorway, and leaned onto the frame.

"Poor Koneko. Akeno will no doubt be making her try on every last thing they have. Possibly from the children´s section as well." She said, sighing with a smile. "Well, I´ll try my best to make my little Rook have a say as well. Come on, Asia. We´re going too."

"B-but Issei-san…" The blonde offered as a weak response, the familiar green glow that came from her hands already enveloping the Pawn.

"Oh, he´ll be fine. After all, he seems to be enjoying the view." Rias answered with a teasing grin as she crossed her legs, resulting in the brunette cursing out loud. Once Asia realized that she´d been used to get a peek up her King´s skirt, she blinked, and was about to pull off her top so as to "Not lose to Rias-senpai!", but was stopped by Issei. He told her that he would remember her ´offer´, and there was no need for her to do it right here, his eyes darting over to Tatsuo every so often, who had somehow gotten his hands on an orange, and carved the boy´s name into it. From the way he was slowly crushing the orange in his hand, there was no doubt as to how furious he was. After a minute of back and forth between the two, Asia finally settled down, and left with Rias, but not without giving Issei one last cheerful wave.

Once they were gone, the teen looked again, and sighed in relief as the orange was still only mildly squashed. It was then that he asked whether he could have some breakfast, and was handed a bowl with cereal in it. "There is no milk left, is there?" He asked, only to be met with a shaken head. "Oh well. Guess I don't really need it anyways…" He muttered as he began munching on the first spoonful. "Who´ll clean up this mess, anyways?" He asked, and instantly regretted it when he saw the towel being held in his face. He honestly didn´t have it in him to resist. Tatsuo was the owner of this apartment, and he lacked the energy to argue after Asia´s outburst a second ago. Issei took the towel, and threw it over his shoulder, pushing another spoonful into his mouth.

"Well. This is not what I expected to see first thing in the morning." Seemed like Kiba was awake, and was doing rather well for himself, sporting his usual dazzling smile, even with the wound he received the day before. Tatsuo gave him a sign to drop it, as they were alone anyways, but contrary to those demands, the Knight kept it up. "Ah, I was going to offer to clean it, but it seems my friend has beaten me to it."

"Not voluntarily."

"So? You´re still doing a good deed."

"And if I caused this mess?"

"I think I would´ve heard the President yell at you a minute ago if that were the case. Believe it or not, I woke up quite a while ago."

Issei didn´t have an answer for that, so he simply shoved the last few cereals into his gullet, and while he was still chewing, he got off the table, and began soaking up the milk with the towel. The second he went to the sink to wring it out, something Kiba said stopped him in his tracks. "By the way, what do you guys plan to gift Asia-chan for her birthday?"

"…come again?"

"Oh, didn´t you know? Asia-chan´s birthday is today. I was planning to get her a voucher of some kind, which is not the best of gifts, so I thought that you might have some better ideas." The Knight responded, not moving as he continued smiling.

"…I had no idea…what sort of friend am I…?" Issei muttered beneath his breath, continuing to tightly wring out the towel, even as all the liquid had dripped from it. As he went to wipe up the milk once more, still deep in thought, Tatsuo and the other devil got into a conversation in which they brainstormed ideas for presents. The Pawn ignored it, and realized that while he may be a bad friend for not even knowing her birthday, it was a chance for him to make good on his word. He swore to make Asia happy, happy for herself. And this was an opportunity for just that. His mind raced, processing more information than it ever did at school, trying to find something that she might´ve said in passing to give him a clue as to what to get her. His allowance may be small, and his reserve of money even more so, making him regret going on that big tour around the shops buying all those magazines a week earlier. Shaking his head, he got back on track.  
He thought about what she liked. Christianity. Helping others. …that was about it. Issei realized that his knowledge on the blonde amounted to nothing. He lived with her, for hell´s sake! How didn´t he know her any better than this!? He wrung out the towel again in frustration. Most of what he knew about her anyone would be able to figure out after meeting her but once!

" **Continue on that train of thought."** The dragon interjected in his echoing voice, and Issei swore that his head shook every time Ddraig spoke.

" _What do you mean by that?"_ He whispered to the gauntlet, and his head vibrated once more as the beast sighed. Though the devil truly was stumped as to what he was talking about.

" **Listen. If the only things you know about the girl come from your first meeting, then think back to that time. I know that you have enough brain matter in that empty head of yours to at least get an idea from there."**

"… _can you see into my memories?"_

" **Maybe. But you should worry about more important things. Because trust me, I wouldn´t want to look into your head longer than necessary. So much filth."**

"That thing you call ´filth´ are my prized collections, you stupid lizard!" Issei yelled, before realizing that the other two were still standing right behind him. He scratched his head as he turned, apologizing, and got back to cleaning as the other two shrugged it off, resuming their conversation. His thoughts rested on what the dragon said. Their first meeting…nothing much happened. She fell over, clumsy as she is at times, he remembered seeing a pure white piece of cloth beneath her robes, oh yeah, she was still wearing her nun´s robes at the time, and he led her to the church, after she helped a random child with his injury.  
Perhaps there was something in their second meeting? They met randomly as he trained, trying to get stronger for his master by doing various exercises in a playground, and she just happened to pass by. Then they spent nearly the entire afternoon together, he bought her lunch at some fast-food restaurant (though the "restaurant" part is debatable), where she had a burger, something completely new to her, and she had the most adorable sparkle in her eyes as she bit into her meal for the first time. Next, if his memory was correct, they went into an arcade, where they played a few games, at which Asia was surprisingly rather good at, and after that, they went into a park, and fed the ducks some bread. Then, his "ex-girlfriend" appeared, and kidnapped her, but not before shoving a spear of light right into his leg. He shuddered as he remembered Raynare. Had it not been for her, he would´ve never become a devil, nor met Asia, and she would still be human, and could pray to her God (ouch!) if it wasn´t for that fucking Fallen Angel.

He felt that there was something he was forgetting something, though. He was currently drawing a blank on exactly what it was, but he knew that there was something there. As Issei wiped the floor, he was tapped on the shoulder, making him look up. Kiba told him that they´d go shopping together for a present, and asked if he wanted to come with, as the floor was clean. Upon hearing that, the Pawn looked down, and sure enough, he was done. How long it´s been since he was done, he didn´t know. He threw the towel into the sink and went past the "guest room", in which the Great Satan still slumbered.  
He drooled a little as he remembered the hug she gave him when he was still down because of Tatsuo´s "death", still distinctly feeling the pressure of those globes rubbing on his chest.  
In the adjacent room, Instinct contacted Tatsuo. _"I feel a great disturbance in the force."_  
Once he reached the door, he put on his shoes, and waited for the other two, still indulging his fantasies as the two took their time. It sounded like they were discussing something. Probably Kiba telling him off that he nearly killed himself. The Knight _did_ look rather mad when the teacher just walked into the living room a few hours later as if nothing was wrong. He, the President, and Levia-tan were the ones that looked upset with him, and Issei could understand them. They were the ones that immediately took charge, despite their own grief, and tried to console the others before even themselves, and in the end, it was all for naught, as Tatsuo never died in the first place.

He banished those thoughts. They were too depressing right now, he needed to think positively, after all, with a positive mental attitude, he would be far more creative and open-minded in picking a gift. Right? Well, he hoped so, because otherwise, he was screwed. And so, he went back to fantasizing, until the two finally came out of the living room, though something felt off. Once he saw Tatsuo, the Pawn began feeling a little uneasy, which intensified when the man gave him a knock on the head, and explained to him that Instinct was rather enamoured with his roommate. So could Instinct read his mind too…?  
 **"No, but he always was rather possessive."** Issei gave no answer to the dragon, and instead nodded timidly at Tatsuo´s warning.

The trio left the building, and the teacher remembered that Kaiya would appreciate mushrooms, at least according to Levia-tan. He never had to do it before, but apparently, his roommate used to bring mushrooms over to their landlord to appease her before he arrived and made sure to quiet down the place a bit. Though he still needed to interrogate her as to who brought her the sugary treats all the time, even if he had a pretty good hunch as to the perp´s identity. He might as well take care of that before their trip tomorrow, and buy a pack of shitake mushrooms as thanks (and compensation, in a way) for her help (and suffering) in rescuing his second lover.  
They made a beeline for the station, where they just managed to catch their train on time, and soon, they arrived in the shopping area of Kuoh. At first, they simply strolled along, searching the windows of the shops, some just showing off their selection of clothes, others their selection of toys, and again others their choice of alcohol. However, that was not on their mind, as barely minutes had passed before they gained a following of girls, all swooning over Kiba, making the other two regret their decision to ask for directions to the mall earlier, so as to not run into the other devils. The Knight only wore his usual smile, making it all the more infuriating for the other two as he had a conversation with all of his followers at once, slowing down their pace to a crawl. The topics ranged from his relationship status, to his actual relationship status, and all the way to whether he was interested in someone, which was a roundabout way of asking about his relationship status.

Upon Tatsuo´s inquisitive look, Issei answered that yes, this was how it usually went. No matter where Kiba went, all the girls in the area would flock to him no matter what. And yet, he refused to build a harem! Truly, he was the enemy to all men. It was in this point of the boy´s rant that his teacher stopped listening, and took to looking at the shops again. He saw that there was a shop selling various different edible floras, so he made it clear to the Pawn that he´d be right back, and went to look for some Shitake mushrooms. Whilst the devil had a lot of trouble getting to talk to his fellow servant, he eventually managed to do so, and with that, the whole group just stood around, waiting for Tatsuo. Although, the uninvited were constantly pushing for them to continue, and leave Issei to here wait for the adult. It was obvious that they wanted some alone time with the Knight, and were trying to eliminate any interference from the other males, though he insisted they wait, thankfully enough.

After a few minutes, Tatsuo did exit the shop, a plastic bag in hand, filled to the brim with Shitakes. They got on their way again, but got little to nothing done, as the crowd was still clinging to Kiba like a tick sucking up their precious time. Soon, though, it began to thin, with many of the followers (which the brunette and teacher were inclined to call a cult at this point) having to leave for various reasons, ranging from meeting another friend, to going to work, and the other two´s personal favourite, having to go meet with her boyfriend. After an hour, finally, the crowd had dispersed, and Kiba put away his phone.

"Did you really have to give _all_ of them your phone number if you know you´re not going to date them anyways?" Issei asked him, grinding his teeth in frustration, not ever having been in the blonde´s situation, which as the future Harem King was absolutely unacceptable! His answer was a dazzling smile.

"What makes you say that? Maybe I do enjoy their company. Maybe I do want to date one of them."

"Just going off of my experience."

After that, they dropped the topic, and the Knight apologized for getting caught up with all the blind passengers, but added that he knew what he was going to buy, heading off shortly after, leaving the two alone with their thoughts. And they could both be roughly summed up with "We´re not taking him with us next time." So, with nothing better to do, they got away from the larger crowds, and got to a slightly less populated area of the town. They both eventually agreed to settle down on a bench on a nearby playground, and sighed as their behinds hit the wood. For a while, all they did was pick a cloud in the sky, and watch it drift by at a snail´s pace, though contrary to that, their minds were working faster than an NVidia GeForce GTX Titan X.  
Their chosen clouds left their vision, and they still had no clue as to what to gift the Bishop. They picked another cloud. Soon, it was gone too. They picked another. Gone. And another one. There it went. Another one. It looked like a heart. Tatsuo had an idea. He grinned as he got up, dusting himself off. Issei snapped out of his thoughts, and was told that while the teacher would love to help, his present required a lot of time, so he would be off. Before the devil knew it, he was alone. He ground his teeth in anger at himself. In but a few hours, the sun would set, and the shops would close. He stood up, and walked out of the playground, which was when he realized that he had no bloody clue as to where he was. Conveniently, there was a street sign right across the street. He squint his eyes, and once he read it, his eyes lit up. He knew where he was. Turning on his heel, Issei stormed along the sidewalk, took a few corners, and then he saw it.

The place where he and Asia had their first outing, the fast food restaurant, it was right here! Meaning that the arcade was just a few blocks away! Following the feeling that he had forgotten something significant from that time, he hit the legs, and ran to where he remembered it to be. Finally, after nearly collapsing from the exhaustion, he stood before the building, breathing heavily. Issei gave himself a minute to recover, and walked in after his heart rate had decreased to a more acceptable level. Looking around, nothing caught his attention, so he thought that he might as well go to each and every game he knew that he and Asia played that day. He walked toward a racing game, and just stood next to it for a while, but nothing came to him. Sighing, he got out his wallet, and apologized to it as he slid one of many 100 yen coins into the slot. Perhaps playing the game would help jog his memory. Well, after playing the racing game for a while, his answer to that would be a big fat "No". He still had no idea what it was that he was forgetting. He moved onto the next game. Eventually, he heard a disconcerting sound from the speakers.

"The arcade will close in ten minutes."

Hold on. He hadn´t been at this for that long, had he? He only got a high score on that racing game, another on the ´Road Fighter´ that stood in the corner, then again on the ´Two Button Doom Kick´, and…actually, now that he checked, he only had a single coin left in his wallet. Gulping, his mind raced as he quit the game he was currently acing and walked around the place once more. He treaded the same path he thought they took that day, but eventually sighed as he drew a blank. The brunette decided that he might as well go to the pawn shop close to his home, as they might have something costing 100 yen that he could gift Asia. It was then, as he was about to get out the back door, that he remembered it. She stopped right at this spot back then, and was looking at something as if she desperately wanted it. His eyes darted back to where he came from, and there it stood, ´The Claw´. On the other side of the glass were plush dolls, of an anime character called Racchu, precisely the thing he´d forgotten he got her that day. She looked so fond of it, and it was torn to shreds by the Fallen Angel that would be her killer later that day.

"Please exit the building. We close in two minutes."

Sweating, he got to the station as fast as humanly (or devilishly) possible, all but slammed the coin into the slot, and feverishly began playing. With expert handiwork, he guided the Claw above one of the dolls, and lowered it. He then pressed the button that closed the mechanical limb. It clung onto the plushie tightly, and he gave the command to lift it. His hands were sweaty, making controlling the machine nigh impossible. Once the Racchu was in the air, he moved it over to the hole. His hands were sliding off of the button that kept the Claw closed. He gulped as his other hand began shaking. Soon, this would be over, but he couldn´t let up until then. The urge to wipe his hand began to rise, but there was no time. The doll was above the very edge of the hole…!

"Sir, we must ask that you leave."

As he jumped in surprise at the middle-aged man standing next to him, his eyes remained glued to the doll. It fell from the now open Claw, and landed right on the top of the barrier that kept the prizes inside. His heart sank as it began to tilt back inside. There went his present. His oath to make her happy. A few seconds passed before the man spoke again, asking him to leave, though he got no response. At some point, he was asked another question.

"Wait, are you Issei?" Asked the man, getting another surprised jump out of the boy, who didn´t expect to be called his actual name. With a depressed expression, which returned exceptionally quickly, he nodded. "Well, well, well. So it´s you. You´re the one who beat all my scores!" He said, before bellowing with laughter. After he was done, the man introduced himself as the manager, and stated that in the fifteen years that he owned this arcade, no one had yet to come close to any of his achievements, until today. "All those times I saw you around here, I never thought you´d be the one to best me." He spoke with a hearty laugh. "Tell you what. Have another go. I interrupted you, so this one´s on the house. Show me those skills of yours." He handed Issei a single 100 yen coin.

The boy just stood there flabbergasted for a moment, before finally mustering up a grin and slotting the coin. With dry hands and buttons, of course. He had little trouble grabbing the doll, and this time, he secured it easily as it dropped into the hole. Opening the flap, he took his prize. "Well, I´ll be off. Thanks a bunch!" He said, before heading out the back door. The manager watched him as he went, and chuckled to himself, thinking that it must surely be for the girl that he came with a few months ago.  
Issei didn´t like the rare occurrence in Kuoh that was rain, especially not around this area. It was downhill, so the rain made the streets muddy due to all the muck being washed down from the mountain. So he ran, without an umbrella, holding the Racchu under his jacket, remembering that it was that exact mountain on which he first met Tatsuo. Back then, they still called him ´Mister Samurai´, and though that was his actual name now, technically (something that still made him chuckle), he would never call him that. But that were thoughts for later. He ran and ran through the dirty streets, all the way to home. It was close by, so if he was lucky, he wouldn´t get too dirty before getting back.

Suffice to say, he did, as the slippery roads made him fall over quite often, staining his clothes and skin in wet brown mud. Once he got to the front gate, he opened it in a hurry and slammed it shut right after, before all but jumping into the entryway. Once again that day, he was completely tired out. After a very short break, he stood up with vigour, and opened the door. Taking off his shoes, he heard his friend´s giggle in the living room. He smiled as he held the doll behind his back, and walked into the doorway, and was about to greet the people there when the sight made his mouth dry up, making him unable to speak. It was another Racchu doll. Not any old one, mind you. It was the special edition, which could only be bought at a ludicrous price in a very special timeframe. And here it was, the Legendary Edition Giant Golden Racchu, in Asia´s arms. It was at least the size of a big dog, against the kitten-sized doll behind his back. She was so happy about it. And there were tons more presents lying about.  
"Issei! You´re dirty! Get under the shower right away! And then, wish Asia-chan a happy birthday, all right?" His mother yelled at him, or maybe simply spoke at a normal volume, he was too dazed to tell. A bird chirping might sound like a jet engine to him at the moment. He nodded numbly, his eyes hidden by his bangs. He turned around, and went for the bathroom, and though Asia noticed him shaking, Issei´s parents told her happily to open another present, to which she complied, albeit less cheerful now. She wanted to know what was wrong with her crush. He seemed so heartbroken, like the time he woke up after being beaten by Riser for the first time. He must have felt terrible…

Meanwhile, the Pawn walked into his room, grabbed a change of clothes, and after taking a glance at the stupid plushie in his hand, he ground his teeth, and opened his window. Squeezing it tightly, he punched it once, before throwing it with all his might. It fell outside the backdoor, inside the street. It would get washed away by the water at some point. Speaking of, the rain fell near horizontal at this point, the wind blowing it right into his face, making him remember the time Akeno whipped him till his bones broke. He´d take that any day before this. At least physical wounds healed. But this? He broke his oath at the first opportunity. He was worthless. Walking out of his room, he heard laughter from down below, and entered the bath even more downtrodden than before.

After undressing in the room next to the bath which contained all the towels and the washing machine, he walked into the bathtub, and turned on the tap, ignoring the fact that the water was boiling hot as he curled up into a ball. He had no idea how much time had passed, all he knew was that at some point, he turned off the tap, and when the water was no longer boiling, but still steaming quite a bit, someone came into the bathroom. He didn´t bother to look up. They opened the window to let out some of the steam. It was a hand that belonged to a girl. His mother did her nails, and his father´s fingers were much thicker than that. Whoever it was stepped into the bathtub, right opposite him. He saw their feet from here. Normally, he would´ve turned bright red, but for once, he already was, and he was too tired, mentally and physically, to really care.

"Issei." Rias all but sung, though she got no response to her usual teasing tone. After waiting for it to no avail, she tried again. No response. She got worried. Usually, this sort of stuff got to him so easily. Whilst she shared Akeno´s enthusiasm for teasing the younger devils, she usually began to show concern a bit earlier than the Queen. And this time was no exception. "Issei." She spoke this time, with a calmer, commanding tone. There was still no response. She could see the hurt on his face, and wanted to comfort him. She may not know what happened, but she would find out. "Issei." She all but whispered, trying to coax him out of his shell. He looked up briefly, and the pain she saw made her bite her lip. His head turned downwards again. She asked what happened. No response.  
Eventually, the King decided to be a little more drastic. Being a pure-blooded devil, she easily overpowered him, and pulled him onto her, holding him similarly to how she would hold a baby, his head on her left shoulder, her hand wrapped around his torso and arms. She looked him in the eye, and with a motherly smile, she spoke again. "Issei." And with a defeated look in his pupils, he began to explain. How he took all day to find his friend a present, so that he could see her smile genuinely. How he nearly failed, but did succeed in the end after a kind soul pitied him enough to help. How he ran through the rain, protecting it in his jacket from all the dirt, and yet, all of it was for naught. After he rambled on for minutes, her expression unchanging, she placed a finger on his mouth, silencing him. "Issei." She told him to just go and wish Asia a happy birthday. That would be enough to make her happy, she said, stroking his cheek.

"Prez…" He was about to speak, but another finger silenced him. They stayed like this briefly, and eventually, she told him to leave. He did so with no protest. It was only after he had put on all his clothes in the adjacent room that he realized what had just happened. "DAMMIT!" He didn´t even appreciate the sensation! What is this bullshit! He had to find a way to rewind time and tell himself to just let go and enjoy! Though right then, he also realized that while his beautiful master was naked in there, so was he just a second ago. He immediately went redder than a tomato, and pushed all of that to the bottom of his mind. Yeah, she was probably judging him for his size, though it wasn´t his height or the size of his muscles he was concerned about. There was another size he was thinking of.

" **Didn´t I tell you to not worry about that? Seriously, those comics are not real."**

" _Well, you´re not the one who is this small, now are you?"_

" **No, but I can still tell you that everything about those things is exaggerated, like everything in the entertainment industry. That has never changed, not once during the ages."**

"… _shut up."_

And with that, Issei went downstairs. He entered the living room, and was about to wish Asia a happy birthday, when he noticed that the blonde had disappeared. His parents told him that she went upstairs to check on him, but then just ran outside for no apparent reason, saying she´d be right back. Issei stayed quiet for a moment, and then said he wanted dinner, being answered that there was some leftovers in the fridge. He ate them after warming them up in the microwave, ignoring the adults watching the news. There was a classic drama being aired at the moment about two brothers falling for the same woman, and they watched with interest. No words were spoken between the adults and the teen, and half an hour passed. Asia still wasn´t back. Worried, Issei went upstairs, typed her number into his phone, and pressed call. Nobody picked up. In fact, he could hear the ringing close by. Going into her room, he confirmed his suspicion. Her phone was right here, on top of her school uniform.  
He went back into his room, and stared out the window. It was then that he noticed just how strong the rain was coming down. He looked as the drops all but smacked into the glass, getting all the more worried. Issei put a hand on the cold surface. "Asia…where are you?" As his hand got cold, he realized something, namely that he never actually closed this window. So who did? The door downstairs was slammed shut, and he heard steps coming up the stairs at light speed. Before he could even turn around, he was tackled by a yellow blur.

As he slowly regained his senses, he realized that he was being hugged by Asia. She was shaking in her yellow raincoat. Knowing not what else to do, he hugged her, and stroked her back. She was so cold. He rubbed her a little harder to get some warmth back into her skin. After a while, his pyjamas, cold and wet due to her clothes, became slightly warmer, though only in tiny areas. He took a guess, and pulled her away. Tears. Those were tears. A smile. That was a smile. His mouth agape, he looked her up and down. She was completely covered in muck, the green dress that she wore beneath the coat barely being recognizable as such, though he had no doubt that it would suit her beautifully were it not so dirty. In her hand, she held a small, muddied thing, the size of a kitten. It couldn´t be. Asia held it up, and scraped off some of the brown. It was the doll.

"You remembered." She said, another droplet rolling down her cheek. He couldn´t bring out any words in response. So instead, he wiped away her tears.

"Asia?"

"Yes, Issei-san?"

"Happy birthday."

She giggled.

"Thank you."

"Do you like your present?"

"It´s my favourite of them all!"

He smiled.

"We should get you out of those clothes. You may catch a cold."

She shook her head and hugged him again. "I want to stay like this for a while."

Chuckling, he reciprocated the gesture. "Whatever you want, Asia."

Rias watched the exchange from the other side of the door, and with a small smile, she adjusted her towel to distract herself from the sting in her chest before going back to her room.

 **The next "season" starts off with a bang (Not in that way. Get your mind out of the gutter. We talked about this!)! Now, this was a lot more light-hearted when compared to the preceding chapters, but I do hope you enjoy it. Now then, I´ll just ask for reviews here as usual, and with nothing more to say, I disappear. Alakazam!**

 **I´m still here. Dang it, this discount magic kit for aspiring Houdinis doesn´t fucking work! I want my money back! Oh shit, you´re still here. Uh, I was gone the whole time! Ooooh, maaaaagiiiiiic.**

… **bye!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to you, ladies and gentlemen, and to everything and everyone in between! Today, I bring the following things to you: results of a poll, answers to reviews, and a HUGE chapter (8000+ words, cos I can)! Let´s begin!**

 **The poll ended with 0 votes on everything. Probably because I never displayed the damn thing on my profile. BECAUSE I AM A GODDAMN RETARD. Sorry about that, so I´ll just go with the general consensus that the chapters should be cleaned up (would´ve done so regardless), and no one cares if there are lemons or not. We´ll see.**

 **Now then, on to, you guessed it, the reviews!**

 **Sonic: How is your new friend, OC? Sure he´s doing just fine. Also, glad you liked the chapter! Though please, elaborate as to why. Ego boosts are good and all (makes me write much faster, in fact), but ego boosts in which you tell me which part was good, oh, those are the really good shit. It´s like the difference between Budweiser and good beer. One is good to get drunk, the other tastes wonderful while you´re getting wasted.**

 **ultimate-owner: I do try. This one is even fluffier. Like cotton candy. I like cotton candy. I also like bacon. Cotton bacon. Make it happen.**

 **Goldenclaw: Hm. Interesting way to look at it. Might just be true, if you discount the massive plot advancement that happens further down. Ignore that minor spoiler. Also, my child thanks you, because it is happy, not because I neglect it and it desperately craves human contact. Btw, since the poll was nowhere to be found on my profile, you were the only one that I know of that gave a vote at all, so you essentially decided the whole thing. A wonderful analogy for the future of democracy: either no one gives enough of a crap to vote or it becomes so complicated that no one can figure out how to on official channels.**

 **Anyways, I´ve stalled you long enough, let´s see what our favourite whatever-the-fuck-he-is has been up to!**

Tatsuo blinked as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. In front of his door stood his landlord, spying through the keyhole. Upon noticing him, she held a finger to her mouth, and beckoned him over. Once he stood next to her, she pulled him down by the ear. _"The stork has landed."_ That was the code. He quickly pressed his back onto the wall, and took off his shoes, to make as little noise as possible. Once he did, a nod was all that was needed for Kaiya to silently open the door. They tiptoed through the tiny crack that was the entry, and they placed their shoes (and his bag) cautiously on the floor. From the living room, they could hear loud sounds of gluttony; slurps, munching and swallowing, accompanied by a satisfied breath of air. Undoubtedly, that was Levia-tan. The duo snuck through the corridor quieter than an owl on the hunt. They would not let this chance slip by them.

Once she had arrived at the entry to the living room, Kaiya quickly spied around the corner, locating their targets on the couch. With a quick look at each other, the hunters got into position, and, whilst the devil was still slurping her sugary drink and scarfing down those sweet treats as a brown-haired, bearded man watched, they crawled over behind the couch. Seconds upon arriving, they struck. Tatsuo and the old lady simultaneously pulled over the couch, making the two unfortunate souls on it yelp in surprise, and horror as the girl saw her drink and food fly into the air, the marshmallows all going into freefall, whilst the Coke just spilled all over her and the floor after she landed.

Before they had any time to gather themselves, the man already had a strong grip on them both, holding each of them between one of his arms, respectively. In the meantime, Kaiya just grunted in an approving tone, and began collecting all the other treats, much to Levia-tan´s despair. And while she struggled and kicked and fought to keep them, her mind was so unfocused that it was incredibly easy for Tatsuo to keep her at bay simply by tickling her. Seriously, people underestimated the power of joy. And with Ichiro being but a regular human, he couldn´t do anything to escape his grip. Eventually, after his landlord had collected everything in a large bag she´d throw out later, she told her partner to release the baker, to which he complied.

"Son. Why did you do this?" She asked as the man was let go, groaning as he held his throat. He didn´t respond, and instead turned around, and tried to get the teacher´s grip off of Levia-tan, to little effect. Tatsuo was glad that Kaiya pulled him away before he got hit by the devil´s struggling. Since she was completely unhinged at this point, he might just evaporate if she touched him with a kick. That, and Instinct was already rather vocal about wanting to tear each and every one of his fingers off for even thinking of touching his beloved Levia-tan.

"Let me go, mom! I´m not a damn child anymore!" He yelped again as the lady pulled harder on his ear.

"Oh? With that language and behaviour, I would have to assume otherwise. Now, I´ll ask again. Why did you do this, despite me clearly ordering you not to?"

He remained silent.

"Son."

The man, looking like a boy in his mother´s iron grip, sighed in defeat.

"I love her, alright? There, I said it!"

Kaiya let go, remaining silent as she watched him shake in anger.

"So what? You don´t like her, so I can´t love her, is that it?! Huh?!"

Silence, except the devil´s constant giggling.

"Ichiro."

He looked up.

"Do you love the woman? Or the girl?"

His expression shifted, now more dumbfounded than ever.

"Wha-"

"If you think that this is the true Serafall Leviathan, then you´re mistaken. That is not who she is. It´s a persona, it´s fake." She spoke, motioning to the still jolly devil, who was blushing severely, if it was some sort of drunkenness from sugar that only she could get, or lack of oxygen, no one knew.

"…I don´t care. Then I´ll love that person with all my heart! Even if it´s not her true self, my feelings are real!"

"Let me give you some motherly advice. It won´t work out. Trust me, I tried."

She solemnly looked out the window.

"…Father, right?"

Kaiya nodded. Nothing else was said before the man stood up and left. In the meantime, Levia-tan had fallen asleep due to being exhausted from laughing near permanently for a few minutes. Tatsuo stood up, and was about to bring her to her bedroom, when he got rather annoyed that her long ebony hair, sticky from the beverage, glued to his face stronger than a magnet. He groaned as his landlord had the tiniest of laughs at his expense. It was then, after he´d dealt with the devil, that he remembered his little gift he´d gotten the lady, and before she left, he handed her the bag of Shitakes, and in exchange took the huge bag of sweet treats from her. Had he been dressed in red, she might be able to pass him as Santa Claus, she said, making him roll his eyes. He´d gotten used to her teasing by this point, and just carried the garbage downstairs, whilst blocking out several attempts of Instinct to try and bargain for them to keep it. 

Once they arrived at the very bottom, his landlord told him she´d be making Shitake soup, and as it is quite good for the liver, immune system, and even helps stabilize blood sugar levels, asked if he would want to join her for dinner. Answering that he´d consider it, seeing as he had a present to take care of, and sharing his thoughts about force-feeding it to Levia-tan later (at which they both began having an evil glint in their eyes), he walked out the front door, and threw the bag next to the trash bin, where a truck would pick it up in a while. Tatsuo then rushed back up the stairs, and entered his apartment. Locking the door, he refused to give Instinct control, making the other half cry out in despair, seeing as he wanted to help his dear Levia-tan get into something less wet and sticky (which had nothing to do with the fact that he´d see her naked because of it, nope, not at all) and got out what he required for the present. Noticing that the teacher needed full concentration for his endeavour, Instinct sighed, and went to sleep, but not before announcing something.

" _Tatsuo, tomorrow, we need to talk. Just make some space in the night or something."_ And with that, Instinct fell silent for the rest of the night, and his significant other sat on his chair deeply engrossed in his project.

Before he left his apartment the next morning, Akeno came over and, after attempting once again to get more intimate and consequently being smacked with the newest issue of _Berserque_ , stated that she´d been sent to pick up whatever his present was and bring it to the beach house. Once she saw it, she lit up, and almost didn´t want to move it, it was so beautiful in that specific angle at which the sun shone on it. However, he didn´t exactly care for that, and packed it before handing it to her. This was a present by nature, after all, and if the recipient never got it, its existence itself would be contradictory. At that moment, before she warped, she tried again to force her body on him, and his retaliation was immediate, this time with _Mop Psaicho 101_. Pouting, she left, but not without sticking her tongue out at him in an effort to provoke him, though obviously, she wasn´t really successful. He was standing in front of the station for more than an hour now, but he was still the only one of the group here, and their train left in but fifty minutes! Just where were they?!

Alright, turns out, you were _not_ supposed to arrive at least two hours in advance to your train´s departure; that would be the airport. That´s what the police told him in great detail anyways, before nearly dragging him off for acting suspiciously (which was absolutely preposterous), however, Koneko (with Akeno´s company, probably much to her dismay) apparently still came 45 minutes in advance regardless, and got him out of that mess. After thanking her, the three sat down on a bench, and it was at this point that Tatsuo realized that his small girlfriend was not the most, how to put it…subtle. She was lugging the same huge backpack around that she had with her back when they trained in the mountains, which for a girl of her height and visible muscle mass was…off, to put it mildly. Thankfully, the others joined up with them soon after, with Issei´s group being last.  
And just as expected, he didn´t think about packing until two hours ago, which made their morning far more hectic than it had to be. Asia and Rias were completely out of breath, and uncharacteristically for the latter, there were a few strands of hair that were out of place. Now obviously, this incited the teacher´s unbridled rage. Asia may not have gotten enough sleep! Also, Rias may not look her best. So that´s bad(?). Anyways, after the brunette got a minor thrashing, they realized that their train would arrive in a few minutes, and headed for the respective rail. Due to "training purposes", the Rook dumped her luggage onto the Pawn, which slowed him down considerably, though the threat of another beating, this time by not one, nor two, but three pairs of eyes that all but told him to buckle up and take it, made him shut up and sling it over.

Koneko then immediately hopped to her boyfriend´s side, and began talking about her day yesterday, shooting the Queen a few insults from time to time for her "inacceptable behaviour", to which the older devil simply giggled, answering that she had no idea as to what the Rook meant. Rias and her Knight giggled at Issei´s little show, held the Bishop back from intervening, seeing as it was for "training", and turned her attention to the fact that the train would bring them to their destination within less than three hours, due to wonderful new technological innovations (in no small part due to the devil´s funding, but she didn´t need to know, nor would Asia care). The boy, meanwhile, ran after them with all his might, and barely kept up as they walked into the train, having to take off the bag to even follow them after that point, and then, upon arriving at the cabin, realizing that he needed to get into the neighbouring one, in which only he, Tatsuo and Kiba were seated.  
In the end, they spent most of their trip playing cards, though Issei was surprisingly decent at keeping up a poker face. However, the mirror behind him, unobscured by his short hair, contrary to Tatsuo, betrayed him as he was beaten again and again. It was only after they stopped came that he confessed that he had played against his friends Matsuda and Motohama often throughout his life, but they always beat him somehow, even though he had bettered his pokerface a lot over the course of time. In response, the other two just politely acknowledged it and buried their noses in the books they brought along. It took all but ten seconds for Issei to get back their attention, though, as he asked a very simple question. "Hey, Tatsuo. About Koneko-chan and Akeno-senpai…" It took but a glimpse of the man´s face to make him shut up, as he gulped and nodded, mumbling an excuse. Tatsuo would explain later, but right now, he too was rather tense; he had no clue as to how long it would take to make Koneko´s psyche stable enough for her to open up to the idea of him loving Akeno in addition to her. Someone gasped, and once he looked up, see saw Issei looking out the window, which he did as well, upon seeing the look of marvel on the teens face.

The train was driving along a mountain, and right beside the tracks was a steep drop, which gave them a beautiful view of the ocean, glistening in the sunlight. For a minute, they just stared in awe. The driver then announced that they´d be arriving within ten minutes, making them stand up and pick up their luggage, some with more difficulty than others. After exiting the train, they went ahead and hopped onto the nearest bus that Kiba stated was suitable. Another ten minutes passed, in which they noted just how hot it actually was here, and it was in this moment that Tatsuo regretted wearing his regular jacket instead of what Levia-tan recommended. Because while that pink shirt was utterly ridiculous, at least it was light enough to not make him sweat like a pig! He knew that the Hive probably meant by "temperature-resistant" was the fact that he wasn´t ever going to completely dry up, burn alive or freeze to death, but still, the least they could´ve done is get rid of this annoying feeling! The small, salty droplets flowing down his forehead and into his eyes were only serving to piss him off, moderating body heat be damned! A quick look to the side showed that the younger devils weren´t faring any better. Asia and Issei were sighing as the heat made them hunch over.

However, Rias, Akeno and Kiba didn´t seem to be sharing the same problem. In fact, they were quite happily sitting on their seats without a single drop of sweat on them. Perhaps because they were using fans to cool themselves. Without a word, Tatsuo held out a hand, demanding one of them for himself. The three just laughed at him, and said that he should´ve thought to bring one himself. There was no way they were giving them up. After briefly contemplating, and wanting to go forth with the plan of ripping their arms off to get his hands on one of those damn fans, he felt one being placed in his hand. He turned around, and came face to face with a rather red, shy Koneko, who looked out the window as she fanned her head. Thanking her, he flicked it open, began fanning his face, and suddenly, the temperature became a lot more bearable. Yes, this would be a great trip! Of course, when Issei asked that they share a fan so he could cool off as well, the five laughed at him, and told him that suffering built character, and that it was all part of his training. In the meanwhile, only Akeno noticed, with a smile, the two lovers having their hands entwined, though she gripped her fan ever so slightly harder.

It was a short trip on the bus, and after a few dumped their luggage on Issei, the group moved on. Also, Tatsuo decided that Asia shouldn´t suffer like her crush, and handed her his fan, sharing it with Koneko instead. And though the girl thanked him, and sighed in relief as she cooled off, everyone noticed her glancing at Issei ever so often. After a brief period of thought, she came to his side, and fanned his head. The Pawn, after looking at her like she was someone who went through literal Hell to save him (which couldn´t be that far off with this damn heat), began to straighten out slightly with every step he took, suddenly feeling like the burden on his shoulders was that much lighter. The others who saw this either giggled or sighed. Because whilst this scene was adorable, on the other hand, it meant that the bond between Asia and her crush got ever the stronger; and Tatsuo wished her all the best, but…a pervert will always be a pervert. He wasn´t sure whether such a relationship would be good for her.

They had to exit the small town in which they got off, and walk through a forest, along a path that was right next to a river. They were quite happy about the cooler air, in no small part because of the shade the trees provided, and packed their fans. Once, they could spy a few fishes swimming through the river, making Tatsuo wonder just where they came from, and what their destination was. He might never know. All he knew was that at that moment, they were there, and they marched forward, with the flow of time, though the bumpy riverbed was made of rather spiky rocks, which put the fish in danger to wound themselves from time to time. Contrary to that, they almost seemed…content.  
And the second the river parted ways with their path, they lost sight of the fish, making him begin another conversation with his little kitten, who had her hand tightly clutched around his; when asked why, she insisted that it was so she didn´t accidentally let go and trip. He believed her, but knew that it wasn´t just that. He´d seen her already cook for him the day after they became an item, it was very possible that she was just too shy to openly admit that she wanted to become more intimate. And well, he wouldn´t ever complain about that, he loved her. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, and gave her hand a squeeze, to signal an incoming obstacle. After hopping over it, the group spied an opening in the trees.

They left the forest behind them, and came upon a large mansion. For a second, all Tatsuo did was blink. He turned around, and took in the surrounding areas. A forest behind them, the sea in front of him, and far to the left of the estate, a cliff. Rias shot him a questioning look, and he simply stated that her family must love to build their mansions in clearings, whist being close to an overlook-like location, as in either a mountain or a cliff. She answered that it was impressive that he made that observation, and explained. "If there were ever to be another war between us ´supernaturals´, we have these as backup, so to speak. We can always station soldiers or refugees here, and these locations are easy to defend. We shouldn´t hope that it ever comes to that, however." She gripped the grip of her luggage ever so slightly harder, as everyone remembered the angel they had to kill just a few days before. It made the whole place seem a lot more dreary than it was; painted in a bright red, with white windows, it looked like an ordinary vacation home.

"Let´s not get down, guys! We´re here to enjoy ourselves! So come on, let´s go!" Issei all but yelled, earning him a smack to the back of the head, as Tatsuo was stood right next to him, and his ears did not exactly agree to this violation. Though he recovered quickly, and approved of what the teen said, so, after they resolved the incident, they bee-lined straight to the front door. A few minutes after, they´d arranged who´d stay in which room, which was easy, as the layout of the mansion was identical to the last, so they just went with the same arrangement as last time, Koneko and Asia in one room, Kiba and Issei in another, Tatsuo got his own, and the ´Goddesses´ got their own. They settled in rather quickly, and once they did, it was time to decide who was going to cook lunch. A few rounds of rock-paper-scissors declared the King and her Knight the unlucky souls to take over that role, and wishing their friends fun on the beach, they got to work.  
After it was settled, those that didn´t have to cook went back to their rooms, and put on their beachwear, and met up at the backdoor, which led to a terrace, made of white wood. They walked past the wooden tables and chairs, and headed straight for the staircase that led down to the shore. The waves could be heard only halfway down the stairs, and the salty air entered their lungs. Soon after, their feet hit the sand, and they each recoiled due to the heat that nearly melted their skin off. Yep, this was the time to put on those slippers. It made the walk over to the water much easier. A suitable place to settle was quickly found, and they stuck an umbrella into the sand, putting the two blankets into the shade. And it was at this point that Tatsuo realized that this would be a _long_ day.

"Hey, Tatsuooooo. Could you help me put on my sunscreen?" The Queen asked all too seductively, and he had to audibly gulp as she took off her shirt, and laid down on her belly, holding out a bottle. Whilst it was true that it was nigh impossible to do it yourself and he would be glad to help her, he knew her well enough to know that this was going to be one of her shenanigans; and though he trusted her enough to not lay it on too thick, he did also glance at his other love, who was still holding his hand as she sat down on the other blanket with some difficulty. Her grip was tense, very tense. So he did what he usually did, sighed at Akeno´s proposal, and took the bottle. His display of unwillingness was good enough to make Koneko calm down, and so, he went on to squirt the cream out of the bottle, and rub it onto her back. He purposefully tried to avoid any _dangerous_ areas, and after her entire backside was shining dimly, he closed the bottle, and handed it back to her.  
He felt a tug at his sleeve, something that reminded him that he really should´ve not brought his damn jacket, and another bottle was pressed in his hand. A quick glance, and yep, it was Koneko, who silently asked him to do the same. He smiled, and took the bottle. Tatsuo helped her out of her shirt, and layered her back with the sunscreen. It took no time at all, and as he closed the bottle and handed it back to her, he heard her ask all too quietly if he could do her front as well. He opened the bottle again, and she turned herself over. He took note of the swimsuit she was wearing; thankfully, it wasn´t too exposing, and covered her up sufficiently. He didn´t have to even look at the other devil to know that the Queen would not be the same.

It was a bikini, so Akeno definitely had her input there, but otherwise, the two white pieces of cloth were rather large, covering nearly her entire upper body, and being like a pair of pants on the lower half; sure, they were very small pants, but there was some actual coverage on the leg, which was definitely more than what the Queen was undoubtedly wearing. Besides, the swimsuit definitely suited his little kitten. It looked wonderful on her, especially after he´d applied the sunscreen, and she shone in the sunlight. He closed the bottle once more, but hesitated for a second before putting it away. This was the first time he´d seen Koneko this exposed, and whilst he knew the blush on her face stemmed from that, he thought to take advantage of that. Possibly to help her get over her shy attitude, perhaps because Akeno´s sadism rubbed off on him, or maybe because he just wanted to see her smile, he pressed his arm on her exposed belly, and began tickling. Of course, since this was so unexpected, it took but a millisecond for her to begin laughing.

"Tatsuo! Stop!" Was what he could make out in the incoherent laughter she gave off, which was closer to "Tahahatsuhahahaho! Stahahahap!", though there were a few more "Hahaha"s mixed in there. Eventually, he did stop, and it gave her the chance to take a breather, before giving him a harsh glare (he guessed). It was hard to tell with the blindfold. "Why?" She demanded to know, and he responded by drawing a curve on her lips, which pointed upward. She got the message rather quickly, and curled up into a ball to hide her face, whilst making what he would call the sound of coalesced embarrassment. _"Please don´t do it again."_ She whispered, and he patted her head to confirm. After a while, she uncurled, and held out a hand, presumably for the bottle in his hand, which he still was holding on to. He raised an eyebrow, and handed it to her. She motioned for him to lie down, and he understood. He took off the jacket, and was rather glad, as the hot, yet dry air cleansed the humidity that plagued his skin. A round of gasps made him turn around.

The others were staring at him with wide eyes, and after looking down on himself, he understood why. He never did receive proper treatment for those wounds, now did he? Scars lined his body, but those were always there, from the day (if there were days in space) his birth, however, the skin that had been torn off with his armour after the battle a few days back had grown back already, leaving not a trace of the horrible experience. Well, now they knew of his regeneration. There was little explaining to be done, and though they did ask about the scars, he replied that he had no idea; perhaps they were part of the cloning process in the Hive. They made the mental note to add that to the long list of Tatsuo´s abilities, and moved on.  
After the incident was dealt with, he lied down. A few seconds later, he felt cold, tiny hands touch his back, and shuddered. The difference in temperature was huge, and he was so glad to finally be able to cool off. The hands hesitated upon his movement. A reassuring pat on the head, it nearly breaking his arm to do it, made Koneko muster up her confidence again, and she continued. It was truly incredible how much of a far cry this was to her usual self; calm, confident, and with an unbending will; here, she seemed like a child, unsure, shy, and hesitant.

After the sunscreen was done and dealt with, he stood up, and helped his love up as well, before heading towards the sea. He purposefully let Issei apply the sunscreen on the true angel on this earth, but obviously monitored his every movement, ready to intercept if necessary. No untoward hand placement was detected, so he let the two be, who wanted to play with a beach ball for the time being, whilst Akeno decided to simply sunbathe (crazily enough, with this heat). This left Tatsuo and Koneko to their own, and he knew just how to spend it; she never did learn how to swim, and he would change that. Although, once his feet hit the water, he took note of a slight problem, which only got worse the deeper they went. He could not, try as he might, go under. He was stuck walking on top of the sea surface, thinking of how to solve this conundrum. He settled for hopping up and down until the force broke the apparent concrete that the water was for him, but to no avail.

A memory flashed through his head, in which the Scale pulled him into the grimy pond of his; he never questioned why he could walk on water, but that memory made him ask Koneko to pull on his legs as hard as possible. She raised an eyebrow, but complied. Getting into a better foothold first, the Rook pulled on his lower thighs with all her might; it did make him budge, indeed, it did. Although, the fact that he didn´t go that much deeper didn´t help a lot, especially since it became more slippery than a banana peel, and needless to say, he fell over, hitting his head on the hard, cold sea surface. He was lost for words. Taking a bath in the hot springs wasn´t a problem, why was this coming up now!?

" _Well…"_

Instinct. Of course.

" _How to put it…"_

This better be good.

" _I, er…"_

Tatsuo was waiting impatiently, tapping a finger on his crossed arm.

" _You see, I…"_

His breath became heavier with anger at the holdup.

" _Fuck it. The ocean is scary, dammit!"_

There we go. Wasn´t that hard, now was it?

" _Listen, I have my problems, we all do. I do not want this body to get anywhere close to the seafloor. End of story."_

Well, that was unsatisfactory. He really wanted to hear the reason why.

" _I trust you with a lot, alright? But this is something I want to keep to myself. Maybe another day. Just take a seat. It´s not that bad. Besides, makes it easier to look out for sharks."_

…there are sharks around these waters?

" _Yep. Googled it. Not the biggest, but big enough to eat most fish, dogs…even cats, like the one in front of you. You can still punch out their teeth, though. So don´t sweat it."_

His eyes were peeled, his left and right gun was loaded, and prepared to rip any overgrown goldfish to pieces.

" _Now leave me be. Don´t forget that talk later."_

He won´t. He got back to Koneko, and went full teacher mode again, just like the old days. Albeit the weird look the combination of goggles and blindfold was rather distracting, he ignored it for the most part, and helped her along as he taught her the most basic of strokes, then went on to make her perfect the technique of gliding smoothly through the wetness, his eyes glued to the sea surface surrounding them, on the permanent lookout for any signs of sharks. Every so often, he´d spy movement and dash over in an instant, only to find that it was just an elevated reef. Though they seemed to be moving about, which made him all the more suspicious, especially because last he checked, the seafloor was made of brown sand, and not purple…whatever that stuff was.  
At some point, she had enough, and they went back. Suffice to say, once the others saw him walking on water like Jesus, their mental list got a rather quick update. They then vaguely heard someone call for them, and upon seeing the red hair at the top of the staircase, began packing their stuff. Though Tatsuo didn´t really help, as he simply picked up Koneko and ran up the stairs as if Lucifer himself was after him; though at this point, they questioned whether even the most powerful of devils could stand up to their teacher, though those thoughts were not really important to them right now, as they had to try to hold in their laughter at his usual antics. They failed.

Their stuff was quickly stuffed into bags, shirts were hastily thrown on, and they immediately gave chase, knowing that if they took their time, there would be hell to pay: either he would´ve devoured everything, leaving them nothing, or he would punish them for their tardiness (besides Asia, of course). Luckily, it was neither, as Knight and King, wise as they were, had withheld the meal until everyone had arrived at the table. Judging from his expression, he was not pleased in the slightest. He pointed at the clock, then at their legs, and whilst Akeno got the message and began sweating profusely, the others tilted their heads in confusion. Suffice to say, their muscles would regret this day. But for now, they waited excitedly for the dishes that the two devils had cooked, which they revealed with a flourish, having built the excitement with the fancy way they served it: they had a large tray on a cart, which was covered by a metal dome, adorned with golden handles. What they presented looked even better: it was a swordfish, with mussels on the side, each filled with juice, all of this was laying on leaves of lettuce, on which droplets of crystal clear water were running down, and to top it all off, there were shrimps surrounding the meat of each mussel. Oh, and on the second layer of the cart, there was soup, and a plate that had a piece of fish on it. A quick glance made Tatsuo note that it was cut out of the swordfish´s side.

After everyone got their piece of fish, accompanied by mussels and shrimp, they began to eat, but soon, Tatsuo realized that Issei was not eating a single bite of anything, and was looking rather ill, and Asia was looking at him worriedly, asking whether he was alright. "Y-yeah, I am. Don´t worry, Asia. It´s nothing." He said, cutting a piece out of the fish and gulping it down without chewing it, without savouring the taste Tatsuo could only praise, especially since it was cooked so well. The Pawn´s eyes were glued to the shrimp, and his teacher did take notice. "Prez, I don´t wanna eat the shrimp, is it okay if…?"

"Issei, you are not allowed to touch anything else in your plate until you eat those shrimp." Came the quick answer.

"B-but…!"

"Come on, I´ll help you. Say ´ahhhhhh´." She held up one of the many shrimp in his plate, and pushed it against his cheek.

"Prez, s-stop."

"I cooked these with love, Issei. Would you really reject my –" They were gone. Blinking, Rias looked at the plate, then at the Pawn, then at the plate, then at his apparent ill face. "A-are you alright?"

"…wasn´t Issei-san allergic to some kind of seafood?"

After Issei got his just desserts (which were then flushed down the toilet), he got a scolding by his King, who told him that if he had an allergy to something, he should damn well speak up about it, and not do something so idiotic. He was helped along by Asia´s healing, which astonished Tatsuo still to no end. What couldn´t this angelic creature heal? Wounds, be they physical, mental, or a combination of both, he reckoned that she could deal with anything, though it came at a price, of course. Her self. He looked back at the table, and noted that the plate with that one specific piece of fish had moved. It was now on the table, right in front of the person that sat next to him; which would be his little kitten. He asked her if she liked this part more or something, and she responded that yes, this was her favourite. "It´s the juiciest bit."

He gave an interested hum, before a piece of it was held up toward him. He blinked, looked at her, smiled, and bit down on the meat. Holy shit. His eyes widened. This was even better than he expected. He greedily eyed the rest of the fish, until he managed to compose himself, and thank Koneko for a taste of her meal. She smiled upon hearing this, and lifted up another bit. It was gone the next second, so quickly in fact that she didn´t realize it was gone until a few seconds had passed. It was at this point that she worriedly let down her cutlery, and ate faster. She may not be able to see it, but she could feel that greedy look in his eyes, and this was still her meal. She would never give away all of it. It was _her_ favorite. Meanwhile, Issei had recovered somewhat, with Asia feeding him some food that was easy to digest, mainly mashed potatoes, with a few beans here and there. A boy needed protein to grow strong, after all, especially after his intense ´training´. Rias, on the other hand, just sighed at the scene, and left to go back to the table. He said he was sorry that he worried her, and he was damn right to be.

But the fact that he only called her ´ **President** ´ made her chest sting. He was so confident back then, when he told her beneath that moonlit sky that he cared for her that much, her gifted physique, her family´s wealth, the fact that she was a powerful devil, he did not waste a thought on those things. No, he told her that he, and everyone else, cared for her, because she was herself. And yet, it was always there – ´ **President** ´. Never, not once did he tell her, _Rias_ , that he felt that. It was always the ´ **President** ´ who received these words. She was not the ´ **President** ´. She was _Rias_. And it hurt. It hurt that he gave those words, the words meant for her, _Rias_ , to the ´ **President** ´. She, too, cared for him like he did for her, if not more – he was reckless, stupid at times, incorrigibly perverted, but dedicated, indomitable, but most of all, he cared for _Rias_ , just like _Rias_ cared for _Issei_. _Rias_ loved _Issei._ Because _Issei_ was the first one to show love to _Rias_. But _Issei_ never talked to _Rias. Issei_ only talked to **´President´**. She was feeling in circles, she knew that, so she put an end to it, and told them that she would go to the beach. Everyone but the Bishop and Pawn followed suit, as the latter was in no condition to go down there, and the former had a crush on the latter, and would stay to help him through this rough patch.

Which gave those on the beach ample time to plot the party for Asia. It took them all afternoon to set it up, which was even harder to do quietly, and the fact that they were a man (girl) down due to her handicap didn´t make it any easier. Koneko was eventually tasked with going upstairs and distracting the other two, although the fact that she was as subtle as an action movie starring Bruce Willis made Tatsuo worry slightly, and he sent the Queen up with her, who demanded to talk with him during the festivities, it was apparently rather urgent. He nodded at that, and Akeno happily escorted Koneko upstairs, who seemingly shuddered as the older devil began talking to her. He couldn´t imagine the horrors the others would be put through. Like spin the bottle. Or learning to play an edited, live-action version of ´Whiplash´. That last one might be a cult hit, actually. He made a mental note to have her star in such a work if they ever needed money for some reason.

It took two hours, but they did eventually set up everything, and waited patiently for the others to come down. Rias had texted her Queen, but they still weren´t finished with whatever it was they were doing, apparently, as five minutes had passed. Tatsuo let himself get distracted by the sunset behind him. It was marvellous. The way the crimson reflected off of the sea, the way it made the blue coating of the earth sparkle like the most valuable of diamonds, it all made for such a captivating image that he cursed himself for not bringing his pen and canvas with him. Sensing his thoughts, Rias smiled, and told him that in one of the rooms, there were artistic utensils for him to borrow, if he so wished. "Under the condition, of course, that I get to hang it up in the clubroom." He didn´t care about that, he drew for Art´s sake. He nabbed the keys, and charged up the stairs, having obviously asked for directions before doing so.

He was in front of the door he sought within less than a minute; opening it, he found all that an artist like him could wish for: a bunch of canvases, in all sizes and shapes, tons of pens, pencils, paint brushes, paint, and any tool he might desire. It was rather unfortunate that he couldn´t stuff the entire room in his pocket, otherwise he might´ve just used every last thing in here. However, he did settle for a circular canvas, and brought pens and paint (including brushes), together with the stand for the canvas. It was quite the difficult trip, having to haul all of it with but two arms, but he did manage it, although the time it took him to get back onto the sandy shore was at least ten times as long as the way up.

After getting set up, having placed the canvas on the stand, and readied the pens, he got to work. He drew some basic shapes he´d fill in later with the paint, and focused on the bare essentials: the sun in the middle, cut in half by another line, the frontier between sky and ocean. Once that was done, he picked up a brush that was nice and broad, stuck it into the yellow paint, and began adding some colour to the glorious, incandescent sun, only to the top half, though, which had not sunk to the sea. Now, with a few mixes of the paint, he managed to make the sky look just like it was in front of him, a nice gradient of red, orange, and yellow, adding a few touches of darker colours on the very edge of the canvas. Now came the hard part. He added some yellow to the bottom half of the sun, after making sure that everything else was dry so as to not mess up the lower part of the picture.  
Then, after dipping a fresh brush into the seawater, he managed to thin out the dark blue paint, and brushed it lightly on top of the fresh yellow; it now looked like a sort of filter, as if the sun was beneath the surface of the ocean. Grunting happily to himself that his idea actually worked, he added the same gradient as earlier, however, at the same time, he ramped up the intensity of the filter, making it drown out the sunlight nearly completely once he hit the red stage; yet, one could always make out just that tiny little tinge of colour beneath the oppressing water, as if it were that little flame of hope that was so very hard to extinguish. Satisfied with his work, he looked it over one last time, and finally, for the first time since he started, checked his watch. Hm. Two hours had passed. Neat.

…

He turned around. Yep, they were all waiting for him, each having a drink in hand. "You know, Sensei, watching you paint is rather relaxing. But if we call for you, could you please just answer? That would be great. We´ve been waiting to fire up the barbeque for quite a while now." Said Kiba, pointing over his shoulder at a small grill, filled with wet coal. Tatsuo scratched the back of his head with mild embarrassment, and apologized. Smiling as usual, the Knight held out a can of beer, which the man took, thankful that the blonde didn´t linger on the subject, but slightly miffed at the fact that he wore that fake smile, as usual. One day, he´d get rid of it. But for now, he took a sip out of the can, and shuddered. Damn, that stuff was bitter. He wasn´t really the biggest fan of bitter things, and though this was barely as bitter than the stuff his landlord gave him from time to time, he still found it difficult to swallow. Apparently, Kaiya knew how to brew alcohol, and gifted it to him for his ´valiant efforts´ to suppress his roommate´s sugar intake. Though he didn´t need any incentive to do so anyways.

That was beside the point, though, as he took a seat on the bench and put down his drink on the table that had been brought down from the terrace upstairs, where everyone beside Kiba was sat, who, according to what Rias told him after asking, was a genius when it came to barbeque; give him any kind of meat, any amount of doneness (rare, medium, etc.(that is the actual word, would´ve never guessed)), and he´ll deliver it basically perfectly. This, of course, lifted Tatsuo´s expectations to the heavens themselves, and the Knight seemed to feel that, as he chuckled silently to himself, and mumbled _"Challenge accepted."_ beneath his breath. After they each gave him their order, he put on an apron which seemed to know of Tatsuo´s expectations as well, as it said to ´Raise the Steaks´. Now, he explained that it´ll take at least half an hour to finish, so the others should just enjoy themselves for the time being. Upon hearing this, Akeno stood up, stretching, and saying that she would go for a walk, whilst sending Tatsuo a quick look. He got the message, and got up as well, taking another sip of his beer, telling his kitten that he´d be right back and heading out with the Queen, trying his best to ignore her somewhat worried stare he could feel on his back; no doubt, she was still insecure in their relationship, and possibly felt that he would cheat on her (which he kind of was, but he reasoned that it was only temporary, and soon, it would be open between the three of them). As they walked along the sand, which had thankfully cooled off after the sun had set, with no real destination in mind, someone piped up again. Unfortunately, it was not Akeno.

" _Okay, this is a time as good as any. Let´s talk."_

He really didn´t want to, though. His lover wanted to discuss something with him too, and it was urgent.

" _Well, this is about the two of us. It´s about our very existence."_

That got his attention. What could have possibly happened?

" _Good, you´re listening. Looks like your head is yet not completely up in the clouds. Alright, you might´ve noticed that I´ve been quieter for a while now, and that you don´t get those dreams anymore, right? Also, the way you and I act is different from how it used to be, right?"_

True. He hadn´t noticed, but his sleep was mostly dreamless now, and much quieter. And Instinct was not commenting on every last thing he did. Or wolf whistling in his head every time they passed a person with tits.

" _Well, let me put it like this. I made a false assumption. You are not my other half."_

He stopped walking.

" _You are someone that has no ties to me other than the body and mindscape we share."_

If he wasn´t what Instinct told him he was, then what was he? What made him different from those other clones? How did Instinct get in his head?

" _I have a past beyond the Hive, I know that for certain. My feelings, and that seal don´t lie. But you…I do not know how you got into this body."_

Akeno had stopped, and turned around, looking at him worriedly.

" _Which brings us to a big problem. You remember the hole you came through to visit me? Well, that was when we fought that angel, and I gave you that boost. With that, the last dam that separated my consciousness from yours broke. It started with me breaking the seal. From that day onward, it seems as if our consciousnesses were starting to fuse together. The wall fades as we speak. Soon, there will be no more Instinct, no more Tatsuo. Only the being that births from our union. Who, or whatever that is."_

He started shaking violently as drops of sweat started running down his forehead, prompting the devil to rush up to him, asking what was wrong, but he couldn´t hear her.

" _I´m sorry, friend."_

He breathed heavily, very heavily, his chest heaving with every breath he took, his vision doubled, was it the alcohol, he didn´t know, but he felt like he wanted to vomit, this felt so bad,he was shaking even harder, was it his body or someone else shaking him, he didn´t know, there was bile in his mouth, his vision was going dark, there was pressure on his torso, there was something on his lips. The kiss made him snap back to reality, and he pulled Akeno away for a second, and spat out the bile onto the sand. For a minute, all he did was lie in her arms as he tried his best to calm down. Eventually, he did, and pushed away all thoughts about Instinct and what he said. He needed to have his talk with his lover, and help Koneko become happy; this was no time to think on his own issues. So, he asked Akeno what she exactly wanted to talk about, and what she said made him go slightly pale.

"I will be blunt. I want to have sex with you."

 **Now you see why I asked whether or not I should write lemons: for scenes like this. Anyways, back to the joker I usually am.**

 **Ooooooh, the plot, how do they say, it thickens quite considerably, like a few appendages in the audience, no doubt. Well then, review are appreciated, and I will be off. Don´t expect April to have any updates, or if at all, only one (as in, this one). The finals of high school are coming up over here, or, how we in Germany call it, the Abitur, or how my French course calls it, the AbiBac, so obviously, my attention will be on studying for that. Even if Overwatch is more addictive than cigarettes (don´t smoke, kids!). Bye!**


	41. Chapter 41

**It´s been a month, my dudes. Now I´m back! Allow me to quickly answer dem reviews, then we´ll get right on with it.**

 **ultima-owner: Good to know. Hope you enjoy this one as much as the last.**

 **Goldenclaw: Bring out the drinks, cos it´s the 100** **th** **review of the story! WOOHOO! Ahem. Enough of that, a review needs answering. Nice to know that you enjoyed the way I presented the new threat to our (hopefully) beloved duo. I have been trying to be more subtle after SOMEONE guessed a different reveal I had planned because I was too obvious in where it was going. Also, it´s nice to hear that even things as small as that game of poker are appreciated. There´ll be something similar in here.**

 **As for your criticism, you basically recognize the trait of Tatsuo that I will address in here, so once more, you guess a plot point before it even gets spoken openly about in the story. Not sure whether that´s good or not. Besides, if you can get a laugh out of it, then it´s worth being on the border of the ridiculous.**

 **Now then, dear readers, I present chapter 41 to you! Enjoy!**

It had been about forty minutes since Tatsuo and Akeno had gone on their walk, and whilst no one was worried about them, the steaks were ready, and Koneko was getting slightly anxious. He never, _ever_ missed a meal. Kiba estimated that the meat could stay on the lowest heat another five minutes at max, so he had better hurry up, or the meal would be ruined (which isn´t that bad if one considers the Knight´s ludicrously high standards, but still). She began twirling her hair as she pondered what might be the cause of this. Did he find another scene to paint? No, then he would´ve doubtlessly returned for the equipment he needed. Perhaps the cow was trying to seduce him again? How dare she. Tatsuo was hers. And hers alone.

Her fingers pulled harder on the white strands. But what if he did indulge her? She knew that he and the Queen were quite close, it would not be an understatement to say that the older devil was the one he cared the most about, right after her and Asia, though the blonde was a separate case, as she already had a crush on the pervert (for whatever reason), so she wouldn´t betray her. Akeno, however, had proven to be capable of overthrowing expectations as to how low she could sink; it was very possible that she might try and snatch him away.

Her hair was starting to hurt as she pulled harder and harder, though compared to the uncertainty in her chest, it was nothing. As her face was about to turn into a dark grimace as a few _dangerous_ thoughts floated into her head as to what she should do about this, her ears picked up steps in the sand. They were not very close, so it had to either be the other two or some passerby. And because they were rather secluded on this private beach, one of the two options was ruled out. The thoughts of clawing out Akeno´s eyes disappeared, and she happily stood up, helped along by Asia, and slowly, the Bishop guided her toward the sound.

However, that came to a halt once said Bishop gasped, and held her hand far tighter than before. In fact, she was shaking. Koneko heard the crackling of lightning, and the benches fall over as the rest stood up. **"BOOST!"** yelled the gauntlet as Issei powered up, and it began to dawn on her just what might cause this reaction. "Geez, what a warm welcome. Almost feels like home." That sarcastic tone, that voice. It was all too familiar. She could not see him, but she knew that just a few steps away from her stood Instinct. She snarled, and lowered her stance in the case of a fight. He was not welcome here. Sure, he may have called a truce, but that did not mean that she liked him. Hell, for all she knew, he was trying to lull them into a false sense of security before viciously killing them all.

"Okay, before you all try and kill me, could you at least hear me out? I´m not in control because I want to be, you know?" Lies.

"You see, Tatsuo…"

" _What did you do?"_ She hissed between her teeth as she let go of Asia´s hand to crack her knuckles. Though with the pink blindfold, the menacing effect was lost on Instinct, who wouldn´t have been afraid regardless.

"Me? I told him something that is rather private. It only concerns the two of us, so ask him once he wakes up."

" _What. Did. You. Do."_ She repeated as she lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar.

"Huh. Thought you were supposed to be blind, kitten. Anyways, as I was saying…" He continued, casually removing her iron grip with ease as he did, "…that is private. Now, unfortunately, what I told him seems to have fried his brain. So, _obviously_ , I couldn´t just let your co-worker carry us all the way back, so I took over." Angrily, she tore his hand from his rather lax hold.

"So, if you don´t want me here, fine. I´ll make a phone call and switch places again. Got anything else to say?" Silence.

"Well, there we go. See you." As his steps in the sand went past her, she had to fight her urge to just punch him right in the gut. It was not supposed to be him that came back to her. It was supposed to be Tatsuo. Why did it have to be him? But in the end, she just stood there as he went by, and his feet eventually reached the wooden planks that lead up to the mansion, followed by the ever present crackling lightning (it was probably Akeno restraining him, now that she thought about it). At that point, she heard him turn around, and say one last thing that made her freeze in place.

"By the way, your ears are showing."

Her hand shot up to the top of her head, and he was correct. Somehow, she had let her disguise slip. Her feline features were revealed for everyone to see. It made her feel as if she were naked. Desperately, she made them disappear, but she knew it was too late. Everyone had seen it. Asia, Kiba, the pervert, all of them. She begged for the earth to just swallow her up so she didn´t have to deal with the shame. The shame of losing control, control over her feral side. She curled up into a foetal position, trying to shrink away from them all. A hand slowly found its way onto her side, and, upon recognizing Rias´ touch, she opened up a bit, allowing the King to pick her up, like a mother would a baby.

Sending a silencing look toward the others, especially toward Issei, who, whilst having good intent, would only make this worse by speaking. So he didn´t, and instead took led Asia back to the table, where Kiba had served their meal, tactfully ignoring what had just happened. In fact, his expression didn´t even shift a tiny bit. He wore the same fake smile as usual, and covered the rest of the meat that would otherwise burn with tinfoil, to preserve its warmth for another while. After exchanging a look with the Knight in which she told him just what to do, Rias carried her little Rook up the stairs and into her room, humming a calming lullaby all the way. She had done this before a few times, when the traumatized girl had been adopted into her household.

Koneko had tried a few times to escape, to no avail, and every time, the redhead had explained to her what fleeing would mean (namely, execution on sight, as she would be considered a Stray Devil), causing her to cry about saving her sister. And every time, she had to play the big sister and sing her to sleep, just like she was now. She passed Tatsuo´s room on the way, and whilst she heard Instinct talking to someone, she left that for later, and entered her own room, where she laid down the girl in her arms on her thighs, and began wiping away the tears as she continued quietly singing the lullaby.

 _Soft kitty_

 _Warm kitty_

 _Little ball of fur_

 _Happy kitty_

 _Sleepy kitty_

 _Purr_

 _Purr_

 _Purr_

She kept on repeating these lines, which originated from some TV show, and eventually, a soft snore indicated that Koneko had been lulled to sleep. She silently giggled as she stroked the small girl´s hair. She may have changed a lot since they first met, but some things always remained the same. Tatsuo´s eating habits came to mind. Thinking of him, her expression hardened, and she carefully tucked in the Rook before heading to the room in which the two others were in. Rias heard his voice, though she couldn´t make out what he was saying, even as she stood right in front of the door. She opened it without knocking, and crossed her arms as she glared at Instinct, who was on the phone.

"Hold up, the little princess just burst in. What do you want?" He said, turning to face her with a slightly ticked off look. As powerful as he was, she was not scared of him. If anything, she was cautious because of her dear Pawn, his target.

"That´s what I want to ask you. What do you want? And what did you do to –"

"Oh, for fuck sake, I already told you! Now leave me alone, I have a lady to talk to!" He yelled, before holding the phone back to his ear. Rias grimaced, and sent a look to Akeno, who was remarkably calm, though she was still at the ready, her hands enwreathed by electrical bursts. It took a few seconds before Instinct sighed and put down the phone.

"Sorry for what I said."

At the surprised looks he got, he held up the phone. "Levia-tan told me that me apologizing was the condition for her doing her part of the deal."

"Which deal?" Rias questioned, although she was as tense as before; knowing that this man honoured agreements meant nothing. She needed to know just what he asked the Great Satan for. His weapons? Hopefully not. If he got his hands on those, who knows what kind of havoc he could cause. Guessing her thoughts, he pointed at the wall, his hands in the shape of a gun. A blast of energy flew out his finger and hit the wall, blasting a small hole through it. Suffice to say, the two devils instantly cast a barrier spell and got ready to fight. There was no follow-up to that blast though, and he continued speaking.

"Just so you know, it was not about the weapons. Who needs those when you know how to use magic? No, I asked for something much simpler. A man."

They dropped their barriers, and immediately, Rias continued inquiring into the man´s words. "How do you know how to use magic?" He scoffed, answering that there was no need for her to know, before standing up and dusting himself off. He tossed the phone back to Akeno, opened the window, and jumped out, despite their efforts to stop him, which admittedly came a bit late. They barely caught sight of his red jacket disappearing into the surrounding forest.

A sound coming from the phone got their attention, and after Akeno held it to her ear, the cheerful voice of Levia-tan did nothing to calm her, although she said that Instinct would with no doubt return, albeit less than sober. According to her, however, he´d take it much better than Tatsuo, who couldn´t walk straight after basically a sip of any alcoholic drink. After all of this had been explained, Rias asked her what exactly Instinct had demanded from her. With no hesitation, the great Satan answered that she had arranged for a renowned devil to be sent over. When asked who it was, the response was a mischievous "It´s a secret." Knowing the woman, they would not get any meaningful response from her, so the two hung up on her.

As Akeno put her phone in her pocket, she could feel Levia-tan´s pout all the way over here. Normally, she would´ve giggled, but she was too hung up over Tatsuo to do it. She hoped he was alright. Him blacking out, was it because of her? Instinct had left out her forward proposition, or he didn´t know about it, but the way he acted before she made it…was it a good idea to burden him with it? Sure, she had added that she would wait for him to reach that point with Koneko, as she had already stolen the first kiss, the first time should be reserved for the younger one in exchange.

However, all she wanted to do was let him know about her desires, her needs; well, the needs of her side that also gave her her black-feathered wings. Fallen Angels were rather horny creatures, one might say. It was also meant as reassurance, to let him know that he was the only one that she would consider giving her virginity to. Perhaps, though, he was gone after she proposed sex in the first place. Maybe he didn´t hear the rest. Guilt weighed on her heart as she bit her lip in frustration. Why didn´t she just keep it to herself? Then he would still be sitting at her side right now, devouring those steaks. Rias watched her with sympathy, guessing what her best friend had done, and played the sister role once more, and gave Akeno a hug.

Once it registered, the Queen decided that she needed to buckle up. Crying wouldn´t fix her wrong judgement; being strong for Tatsuo to help him with whatever it was that Instinct burdened him with was the right way to go. A smile was the way to go. "Oh dear, Rias. And here I thought you were into Issei all along. I´m very sorry, but I´m seeing someone." The surprise of it caught the King off guard, and the indignant scream that followed made Akeno giggle to herself in sadistic joy.

Meanwhile, Instinct had sprinted through the woods and began slowing down to a brisk walk once he saw the lights of town. After a while of walking around, he found the place he was looking for – the bar. He pulled his jacket´s hood over his head to hide his hair, as he really didn´t want the attention right now. Opening the door, a small bell chimed above him, and briefly, the few people inside glanced at him, but ignored him in favour of staring at the bottom of their glass. Instinct made a bee-line for the counter, and sat himself at the far end of it, where no one else was sat. The bartender asked for his order, and after his answer of "The strongest thing you´ve got" he nodded sullenly. It was part of the man´s job to see people drowning their problems in what was essentially poison; some just needed stronger poison.

A thick glass hit the table in front of him and was filled with large ice cubes, which were coloured brown by the whisky that was poured in moments after. Thanking the bartender, he took a small sip, enjoying the bitter taste as he let it circulate around his mouth for a while before swallowing. Damn, that was strong. He nearly began coughing, but in the end, the liquid was no match for his hardened tongue. He smirked as he swirled the glass around aimlessly, watching and hearing the ice chime as it hit the sides. It was nearly as satisfying as the drink itself, dare he say.

The glacial concert was interrupted a few minutes after, when another chime hit the wrong note completely. Well, at least it meant that the man he´d sent for was here. Sure enough, he heard heavy footsteps approaching him, and from his peripherals, he saw the bartender shrink toward the phone, possibly anticipating a fight of some sort. And judging from how his ´buddy´ looked like, that was perhaps a given. He _did_ look like a delinquent, after all. The steps stopped next to him, and the creaking gave away that he had sat down. He tapped his finger on the counter, and once the bartender got the message, he stepped away from the phone and took his order. Sake, hm?

"Browsing the local cuisine today?" Instinct asked him as the man behind the counter served the devil, who then took a gander at the bottle itself to see where it came from.

"Yeah, sake is the best. I guess Rias got me addicted after all those dinners our parents arranged where she insisted on me drinking it. Even though I was too young at the time. Didn´t stop little Rias, though." Answered the blonde man, who proceeded to gulp down the glass in one go before immediately filling it once more. His tone was very cautious. Understandable.

"Hard to imagine that the responsible lady would act like that."

"We all do stuff like that when we´re young."

Remembering a specific part of his youth, Instinct mumbled in agreement, and took another sip.

"Anyways, why did you send for me? It can´t be to have this casual chit-chat about my taste in drinks. And we´re not exactly close."

"I just needed someone to listen to my drunk rants. And I thought to myself: ´Who would get drunk enough to not remember any of it?´ then it hit me. You are _obviously_ the perfect fit. You can´t even handle some Darjeeling, for Hell sake." He responded with intent of lightening the mood, with success, as the last part made Riser chuckle as he gulped down another glass of sake.

"Fuck you."

"You´d love to, wouldn´t you?"

"Not even when this bottle is empty."

"Speaking of fucking, how´s your sister?"

"…it´s taking every fibre of my being to not roast you right now."

"Cos I´m better at it?"

"Wrong kind of roasting. She´s fine though. Our parents were always easy on her, that didn´t change after the fact. Though she speaks of you surprisingly often, how she admires you for rescuing me from being a dick for life. Thanks for that, by the way." Another glass of sake disappeared, and Instinct was getting worried, as Riser was getting through his bottle at breakneck speed, which he couldn´t match, and his pride wouldn´t allow it. He took a huge mouthful of whisky, and regretted it. Thankfully, the devil was too busy serving himself another glass and talking to take notice.

"In case you´re wondering, the other girls are alright too. Ile and Nel send their thanks."

"I´ll tell Tatsuo when he wakes up." Riser raised an eyebrow, and he clarified "The other guy, the quiet one."

"Heard you guys teach at Rias´ school. How´s that treating ya?"

"Too many girls want our help in something. It´s almost exactly like those shows he watches. The ones where the clueless guy gets a following of about a dozen women before he confesses to the violent one. Other than that, I read off his script in Art, and he tortures kids in PE. It´s great."

"Sounds better to deal with than my parents. They constantly berate me for throwing away my chance at marriage, and at some point, I honestly expect them to just lock me up somewhere and throw away the key, they despise me that much."

"Should I pay them a visit?"

"Please don´t. They are still my parents. Although, you can visit for Ravel´s sake. She never thanked you, and I think she is regretting it."

"I´ll consider it. Anyways, tell me, if you made an assumption about someone that proved to be false, and you then explain this to them right before adding that this false assumption would kill you both, which wrecks the someone´s psyche, what would you do?"

"You and the other guy are going to die?"

"…I really suck at subtlety."

"Without question, fight it. Even if there is no hope, fight till your last breath."

"Obviously. But that´s not the part I needed advice with. I need your help in figuring out how to keep Tatsuo´s mind together through this. I can feel it right here." He tapped his forehead. "He put too much pressure on himself, trying to make the two girls happy, he sees it as his duty. If he cannot guarantee that his duty is fulfilled…he breaks apart." Cursing himself in his head as he waited for an answer, Instinct shoved the glass to his face, and emptied the remaining half in seconds. Riser, unsure of how to answer, stared at his own reflection in the clear fluid, before following Instinct´s lead and drinking it in one go.

They just sat there, refilling their glasses from time to time as they emptied them every few minutes, in complete silence, the only noise in the bar coming from the other patrons. "Who are those girls you mentioned?" The devil finally asked in order to get the conversation going again, with mild success.

"Keep it to yourself. Two servants of the princess. Queen and Rook."

"I see."

Once more, silence reigned as they began nearing the end of their respective bottles, and Riser still couldn´t think of an answer for Instinct´s question. To be honest, asking him such a thing was not the best idea: he was not a psychologist, the only comforting he ever did was to his sister, and that was ages ago, when she was much more prone to crying than today. Nowadays, it might as well be the other way around, with the way his parents abused him at times. As he took another shot, he noticed how he was starting to become a little tipsy. Well, at least the bottle was almost finished.

"Listen, Instinct. If his problem is his duty, then tell him, it is not a duty for him to make them happy. After all, if a relationship is one-sided like that, it´s not healthy."

"That´s the thing. I don´t think he knows how. I´m honestly astonished that he even accepted the confessions, with how obsessed he used to be with getting back to the rabbit. Don´t ask, it´s a long story. But ever since those two opened up to him, he completely forgot about that self-imposed duty, and now here he is with another. For him, their happiness is his." Instinct responded, making Riser think about it for a second before he chuckled.

"That is rather clichéd. But hey, at least he´s a romantic. Look, I cannot really help with your problem. I think you should show him that duty is not all there is in life. After all, he can´t be enjoying it here without some sort of break, right?"

"Can´t think of any. Be it stealing his roommate´s sweets, his romantic relationships, his career, even helping Rias train to beat you, all of it is part of some duty."

"Well, perhaps tell the girls to show him that it is also their responsibility to make him happy. Perhaps that´ll alleviate some of the pressure."

"Maybe." He finished the last of the whisky, and stood up. "By the way, you´re paying. See ya."

"Yeah, bye." Riser answered as Instinct left, before realizing what Instinct had just told him. "Prick." He cursed him as he handed a few bills to the bartender. He finished his drink soon after, but before leaving, he decided to buy another. Ravel had always wanted to try sake. As he left the bar, he checked his phone. 4 missed calls, 19 messages. Oops. Perhaps he should have left a note. He went back in and bought a few more bottles before teleporting away. Suffice to say, his peerage, his family was rather pissed off at him. Well, nothing that alcohol and a passionate night couldn´t make up for.

 **Well, this is something that I never thought I´d write. Yet here we are. Hope you enjoyed it, even though I didn´t get a single wink of sleep in the days I wrote it. Review if you did enjoy, and I´ll go take a nap now. Bye!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Good day/night to you, my dear readers. I welcome you to the greatest chapter of them all. Chapter 42. Where questions are answered, more are asked, but most importantly, the answer is always 42. Now then, my life in highschool is officially over, so I have some time before I find out what´s next. What that means for you? More than one update a month. That´s about it. Also, I will up the pace a bit, so this season ends a bit quicker. I´ve kept the other story in the cupboard for too long. Now then, to the reviews!**

…

 **That´s it for the reviews! Now let´s get to main attraction already!**

As Instinct reached the mansion, he took note of the fact that the lights were still on. Groaning, he walked up to the side of the building on which the window to his room was located. Good thing he was sober enough to still be in control. Having the ability to use magic, no matter how much one sucked at actually channelling it, was rather useful. Helping regenerate wounds quickly or granting additional strength for instance – or staying sober, as was his case right now. His body was rather susceptible to poison/alcohol, as Tatsuo could attest to. Instinct´s very small ability to use his huge pool of magical power alleviated that to an extent; meaning one sip of beer wouldn´t send him reeling. After reaching the spot he jumped down to earlier, he took a brief second to position himself for the leap. He barely gave off a sound as his hands touched the ledge and he pulled himself up, surprisingly enough. Even he himself never believed he was that stealthy. Well, everyone had talents they didn't know of. Perhaps this was his?

The lightswitch was flicked seconds after he closed the window, and he found himself cornered by a bunch of angry looking devils (minus the one that sat at the back, trembling). "Oooh. A surprise party? But my birthday was nearly half a year ago!" He sarcastically commented, before taking a seat on the bed, all the while trying to play off the fact that there was a sword to his neck and lightning flowing around him like rope, not restricting him, but it was close enough to discourage any movement of his arms with the heat it gave off alone. Also, there was that nasty black magic dancing around the princess´ hands, and if he the look on the face of what´s-the-name-of-that-idiot-that-wouldn´t-shut-up-about-repenting was anything to go by, then he wanted to avoid taking a hit from it. Especially after the boy with the arsehole for a hand gave his beloved president a **BOOST**.

"Drop the act. Where did you go, and why?" He was asked by the redhead, and for a brief moment, he pondered just answering her question like a normal person. Nah.

"None of your damn business."

"It is. You are a threat, and I want to know what you´ve been doing for the last hour." She was almost trying to act like a mother here. Except for being an actual parent, she was one of those annoying step-moms. Snorting, Instinct gave his reply.

"As I said, that is _none. Of. Your. God. Damn. Business._ " He smirked internally as the devils seemed to get a headache from the Lord´s name. Good.

"You asked to speak to a devil. Who was it, and why?" Well, apparently the venom in his voice did nothing to perturb her, as the tone in her voice was still the same commanding, inquisitive, and yet cautious one as before (though the same cannot be said for the brunette and blonde in the backline). Perhaps she needed a bit more intimidation to lay off of him. Raising his hand, he grabbed the lightning, and began to suckle on the magic that kept it going like a baby on a nipple. A brief glance to the Queen nearly made him snicker as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"Oh, just an old pal of mine. We just did a bit of catch-up over a few glasses of whisky and sake. That´s it, _sis_."

"Who was it?" The girl began sweating as she poured in more power to keep the restraints going, and he just enjoyed the feast as no one seemed to take notice of the fact that he was literally taking someone out of this fight before it broke out. He wouldn´t kill her of course. She was Tatsuo´s girlfriend after all. Killing her would kill him.

"Take a wild guess. There aren´t that many devils that I´ve talked to, now are there?"

A small gasp of surprise. "Riser?!"

"Well, looks like Sherlock actually has tits, what a twist!"

"B-but why?!" Well, that girl in the back was almost unconscious by this point. A bit more, and she would…he let go. It was not nice to torture a lady. His mother had taught him as much. How could he forget that? He mentally punched himself, and it was visible on his face. From a cocky smirk, he went to a dissatisfied frown.

"Just leave. I want to sleep."

Silence.

"Alright." Huh. That was unexpected. He looked back up, and took note of how the Queen was glowing green. "Did you really think we wouldn't catch on? You should work on being more discreet with your ploys." The princess added, and though she was turned around, so he couldn´t see it, the mocking smile was audible from that alone. Well, he didn't care. As long as they were out of his sight, that was fine. He needed to talk to his other (debatable, as he might be the only) friend in his head.

"Switch off the lights on your way out."

"Sure? You´re dim enough as is."

"Continue, and I´ll tell Tatsuo you thought blindfolds were fashionable." The door was loudly slammed shut, and he ever so slightly regretted his choice of words. Antagonizing them was not the best idea, and he knew that. Considering he wanted to murder the kid, however, there was not much he could do to make the situation better anyways – on the flipside, it couldn´t get much worse, too. After switching off the lights, he went back to bed and huddled beneath the covers. It was time for him to make the trip Tatsuo made just a few days ago, to the other side.

Though he couldn´t sense him being in the mindscape at all; it appears that Tatsuo couldn´t reach it, not even subconsciously, except if he activated that switch. That, or he isolated himself so well that not even with his magic ability, Instinct could not locate him. Well, that put a wrench in his plans. As there was no way that he would flip that switch and risk killing them both, he settled for sleeping, which demonstrated another benefit of magic: you could always put yourself to sleep. It was great. What was less great, was that if you sucked at channelling it, you still have a chance of having nightmares. Instinct had that terrible luck tonight.

" _You should stop waltzing up to the girl´s section in the hot springs, and focus more on your training!"_

" _Pfft, just because you don´t have the balls to do it. And in contrast to you, the girls actually like me. Probably because I actually spend time talking to them. Regardless, even without training, I beat you every time we spar, so what´s the point?"_

" _That's because you´re older than me! You just overpower me when we fight! It´s unfair!"_

" _You could actually beat me, you know."_

" _No way! How?!"_

" _Stop training."_

"… _you´re lying to me."_

" _Seriously, bro, stop training and find something else to spend time on. Just go into the village, talk to the people in it. You could have the body of Hercules and I would still beat you, hands down."_

" _LIAR! If I were as strong as a demigod, I would win against you easily!"_

"… _fine then. Continue training. Be stubborn. See where it gets you, you stupid little twat!"_

" _Tatsuo, let your brother go."_

"… _when did you come back, Mom?"_

" _When it was established that you are a liar."_

" _Fine. But can you at least tell him to stop training? He is wasting his life on a silly bet we made ages ago."_

" _Hey! A bet is a bet! You can´t back out, ever!"_

"… _see?"_

" _Hahaha! Listen, my dears. It doesn´t matter whether or not you waste your life, be it on a bet or chasing skirts. I am your mother, and I will love you regardless. Now help me with the crops."_

" _Yes, mom."  
"If I have to."_

"… _do you feel it too?"_

" _Feel what?"_

" _Oh no…Tatsuo, take your brother into the cellar, and don´t leave until I come back!"_

" _Okay."  
"Hey, wait! Mom!"_

"… _do you think we should leave?"_

" _No. We will wait."_

" _But what if Mom is in danger?! We have to-"_

 _*slap*_

" _When our mother tells us to stay put, we stay put. No questions asked. When a lady has a wish, we oblige. Besides, she can take care of herself. She´s an elf, after all."_

"… _okay…"_

" _Need a hug?"_

"… _yeah…"_

" _There you go. Feeling better?"_

" _Mmh."_

" _Good."_

" _...how long have we been down here?"_

" _Dunno. I think your nap lasted a few hours, though. It should be safe to leave. I haven´t felt any quakes for a while now. Come on."_

" _What the hell happened here…"_

" _Where did the town go? Where is everyone? Why is the air s-so *cough* dusty?"_

" _Need me to pat your back? That´s a mean cough right there."_

" _I-it would be *cough* appreciated."_

 _*bam*_

" _OW! I didn´t agree to have my spine broken!"_

" _Man up, at least the cough is gone. Let´s go and look for the others."_

" _How long have we been searching?"_

" _No idea. All I know is that this entire place has been reduced to ashes."_

" _Wait, do you mean…"_

" _I doubt we´ll be able to collect all these ashes in the air and stuff it into urns, but try to not get any in your mouth."_

"… _who did this, big bro? Who would do this?!"_

" _You´re asking me? Fuck sake, I don't know! Let´s look for mother and get out of here!"_

" _Do you think she…"_

 _*slap*_

" _Damn it, where did she go?!"_

" _We´ve searched the entire town. Where else could mom be… hold on, we haven´t checked the hill yet, have we?"_

" _You mean the one that mom always takes us to on our birthdays? Why would she be there?"_

" _I have this weird feeling…"_

" _Well, can´t hurt to check it."_

But it did. Their findings hurt so much. The severed head of their mother was enough to bring them to their knees at the time, and to this day, the memory made him curl up into a foetal position as he bawled his eyes out. The swords she had carried were the only mementos she left them, miraculously unbroken from the disaster that ravaged their home that day. And once they found those responsible, they exacted their vengeance with said weapons on them, swiftly and deadly. Those goddamnpieceofshitarseholepricks that took their mother got what was coming to them. Adding to the heap of crap that happened to him, he hadn´t seen his brother ever since the two sealed him off. He couldn´t even sense him anywhere in this world, which should be easy, with the power they possessed. The loss of his entire family weighed heavily on him as for the first time since he broke the seal those bastards put on him, Instinct cried.

A hand softly touched his cheek, and he jolted back to reality. Furious, he shot up and stared down the person sitting next to his bed with a feral look in his reddened eyes. When he saw that it was just the scared Bishop, now cowering on the ground, trembling, he loosened up. "Leave me be. I don´t want to talk." He spoke uncharacteristically quietly, and lied back down before turning away. He had probably been loud enough for her to hear him through the door. Regardless, he heard her stepping toward the exit, thankfully. Though the light, which had been turned on when she entered, was still bugging him, it was turned off seconds after. Sighing, he tried to fall sleep again. The door shut, and he quickly realized that she hadn´t left once she started petting his head. This girl really had no fear when it came to being a good Samaritan, did she? He chuckled to himself and just let her do as she pleased. It wasn´t unpleasant, so why would he stop her anyways?

It had been going on for a while now, and it seemed as if the girl was a lot more at ease now than earlier. Her movements were less shaky, and provided the man with quite a bit of comfort; after all, which man wouldn´t like being treated like this by a "cutie" as his mother would call her? However, he could feel the eyes on him. He didn´t know where they were, but they were keeping close tabs on him. It may be reasonable, but he felt the desire to scoff at it. Sure, he almost made the horrible mistake of killing this innocent little thing when he first broke free, but you gotta cut him some slack there; being stuck behind a seal for so long, unable to do anything messes with your head. Eventually, there was a light shining through from the door, and the hand on his head stopped moving. A few whispers which he couldn´t make out were exchanged, and she stood up. Well, at least their moment had been somewhat enjoyable.

She took his hand.

There must be a mistake somewhere, surely. There was no way that this girl was so ridiculous as to bring him to their meeting, whatever it was about. Nope, she was tugging at his hand, that was for sure. "Mister Instinct, come on. Kiba-san is going to set up a telescope." He briefly pondered whether or not to accept that invitation. He would definitely get a _very_ warm welcome. But on the other hand, he could hear the pleading tone that accompanied the invite. Was he heartless enough to reject her hopeful peace offering like that? Because let´s be honest, that´s what this was. It was a chance for him and them to actually build some form of…it wasn´t exactly trust, but something along those lines. _When a lady has a wish, we oblige._

Good thing he had that refresher course just now. He pulled his hand from her grip, and got up. Once he stood before her, he gestured toward the open door. "After you." Surprised by the unprecedented show of gentlemanliness, Asia blushed, though it didn´t show in the dark room (as she prayed for, with the added bonus of a headache). She went ahead and left the room, passing Kiba, who just stood there with a smile, and unbeknownst to her, a blade hidden in his hand that held the door open. As Instinct passed him a moment later, the Knight grabbed his arm with his free hand. After the man turned to look, he spoke.

"We have one steak left over. It´s yours if you want."

He was not so naïve as to just take this at face value. This was a tricky question to answer - that steak was undoubtedly Tatsuo´s. Eating it would mean disrespecting his love for food; on the other hand, it might be an extension of the peace that the girl just ahead wanted to achieve. So basically, either they wanted to see whether he was open to proper discourse with them over a nice meal, or they wanted to see whether he cared for Tatsuo – perhaps they might even see it as a form of malice toward the dense teacher. So, with his brilliant diplomacy skills, he found the perfect answer.

"I think Tatsuo would prefer the meat entering this body far more than letting it rot. Even if he cannot taste it."

"Very well. Follow me, if you please."

Suddenly, the tension that had been ever present from the first millisecond his eyes opened, to the time where he was being cared for, all the way up till now seemed to get lifted, just slightly. At least there wasn´t a figurative (perhaps even literal) electrical current running through the air now. Instinct did as he was told, for the first time in a long while, and followed the boy down to the ground floor, where there was an obviously staged game going on in the living room. He spotted his small blonde owner (because let´s be honest, to them he was a feral beast, and only the fact that the youngest daughter wanted to keep him as a pet kept them from skinning him (trying to, at least)) excitedly asking what they were playing, seemingly unaware of the fact that none of them really gave the slightest of shits about actually playing a round of cards. They gave slight murmurs as an answer, still waiting for some sort of signal to relax, as it seemed. Probably from the Knight. But eh, Instinct was never one to not take the initiative when he could.

"Whatcha playing?"

Well, that escalated quickly. He did not expect to see the white railing he was leaning on to vanish so shortly after he opened his mouth. Suffice to say, he fell flat on his face when his support disappeared. For a good while, no one said anything as he just lied there.

"Um, Mister Instinct? Are you alright?" The unsure expression on the girl´s face was palpable in her voice. Probably because that tension was back stronger than ever, so much so that the hair on his arms began to stand upright.

"Firstly, yes. Secondly, drop the Mister. Makes me feel as old as I am." He answered his owner without bothering to even move a single muscle. "So, I ask again. Whatcha playing?" Surely, they understood that he wanted to make some sort of truce here, right?

"Poker. Though we´ll be going out once Kiba finishes setting up the telescope."

The princess was not extending an invite for him to join, meaning one thing: she wanted him to prove that he actively wanted to better his relations with them. Considering that he had to deal with that at some point if Tatsuo was out of commission for a longer period, he might as well do it now. Standing up, he brushed himself off.

"Sounds fun. Can I join?"

He was received into the small circle around the table with varying looks, some were outright glaring, two pretended like nothing was wrong with this image, and another two kept on exchanging glances. Everyone was on edge, even after him showing willingness to cooperate. Instinct knew that there was another issue here that they desperately wanted to address, but none of them had the heart to at the moment. Focusing on the game might be the better choice here.

"I´d like to exchange two cards."

After everyone else took their turn in exchanging cards, the ante was upped. His cards were garbage. Yet, would he stay? Would he just leave after a single bad game? Was this a test, or shit luck? Screw it, he didn´t fold. He wanted to win of course, so he banked on the fact that everyone else had horrible cards too.

"Let´s open them up, then."

There was total silence as he showed his hand. Had he passed the test? The air was beginning to become unbearable.

"This is your first game of poker, right?"

"Yes."

Silence. Then, all Hell broke loose.

"How the hell did you get a Royal Flush on your first game?!"

"Is that a good thing?" He asked, trying to keep his confusion hidden.

"It is literally the best hand in the entire deck! How can one be so lucky?!"

A hand was placed on his shoulder, from the blonde girl, and he saw the happy smile in his peripherals. He realized that this might just be the best moment to lift the mood. "Well, where I come from, they _do_ call me ´ _Il lucky bastardo´_." Instinct replied with flair, as some random gust of wind made his hair look all the more stylish. Suffice to say, there were but small signs of mirth due to his comment, but at least they weren´t pointing their weapons and spells at him anymore. Everyone had was no longer on edge, and everyone just felt better. Eventually, they dealt another hand, and he beat them all once more.

"A full house?!"

"As I said, _´Il lucky bastardo´._ It´s filled to the brim with beauties. And the fifth wheel." He pushed one of the two jacks away from the three queen cards. This time, his joke actually made them laugh proper, and he felt the ice thawing more and more as the games went on. Each hand he got, he won, only getting the hands that were top value, and even though they accused him of cheating, he told them that he didn´t (which was the truth), so his owner may observe him closely to make sure of that. Also, him sharing more of his humor with each hand made the devils care less about losing. Though he had to admit, at some point, they became really annoyed about it even with him telling jokes, so they began folding off the get go, except the boy with the prick in his arm (presumably in his hand in the morning), who seemed really intent on beating him.

Albeit the mirror behind him allowed everyone to see his cards, making that an impossible feat, even if Instinct was not this ´skilled´ at the game. Because that´s all it was. Pure skill. It had nothing to do with luck. Since he didn´t have to focus much, he decided to try and push his owner and the boy together a bit more; sure, it didn´t work as well with when the black-haired one tried it since Tatsuo was too dense for his own good, but in this case, what´s the worst that could happen? There was no way that the girl would fall for him. He glanced over his shoulder, and yep, the blonde was watching him intently, apparently still thinking that he was cheating in some way – her telling him to stop multiple times over the course of the dozen games they played was quite the indicator for that. Also, she wore the cutest pout as he shuffled the cards in his hand, honestly just something to keep himself busy as the boy exchanged cards. Although she probably thought that it was the moment in which he cheated.

"You know, if you´re just standing there to make sure I don´t cheat, you might as well have a seat." He suggested, prompting a delayed answer of hers that there were no chairs left after she registered his words. He smirked deviously as she said that. "No problem." Before she knew what was going on, he had pulled her into his lap. "There we go. Now I can´t cheat, even if I wanted to." Ignoring everyone´s startled reactions (and her embarrassed stammering), he pretended to look at his cards, albeit his concentration was completely on her crush. He looked incredibly confused and surprised one second, the next he looked downtrodden.

It made Instinct just ever so slightly pissed. Did the owner of the Boosted Gear really give up so easily? It wasn´t even worth fighting him then. He shuffled his cards once more. He´d have a serious talk with the guy later. This was just stupid. Heh. Look at him. Acting like Tatsuo, trying to teach these kids some life lessons. His hands cramped up, and he stopped shuffling. Great. Here he was, on the verge of forgetting his problems, and then he just had to remind himself of the loss of his identity.

"By the way." All the embarrassed and surprised talk stopped as the attention turned to what he had to say. "I believe that I should tell you all something. Since my justification has disappeared for me to keep quiet." They turned to the princess, who gave a nod as a go-ahead for him to continue. The mood had been dampened, but they should know that "Tatsuo is not in fact my other half. Apart from our body, we share no connection." The silence that followed was rather thick as no one knew what to respond. Instinct removed that burden from them. They needed not answer; they just needed to know about it, and the fact that he got another Royal Flush.

The mood was lifted once more as the princess seized this opportunity to change the subject and burst into her incredulous screams. Not a single person present wanted to have that talk right now, it was their vacation, for Hell sake! Except one, apparently. "Hey." He turned to look at the boy. "Back when we first met. You said that I shouldn´t know before Tatsuo why you want me dead cos he´s your other half, right?" The atmosphere was back in the dump, just great. Though he had no more reason to really oppose telling him just why Issei´s life had to end in his book. "So…could you-"

"If you must know, then let me tell you: the dragon in your hand ruined the life of not just me, but also that of my brother. By erasing the town I lived in, as well as killing my mother."

At this point, the party was unsalvageable anyways. Might as well do something constructive in that time. _"I-I´m sorry…"_ The boy tried to apologize, but Instinct cut him off with a swift "Forget about it." Just great. He had actually been enjoying himself, but that was over now. Hold on, wasn´t there something he´d forgotten? Oh yeah, where did that blonde boy go-

"It´s ready." Everyone turned to see the Knight standing in the doorway, gesturing for them to stand up. Instinct then remembered about the telescope that the boy was setting up, and that he did not have any damn clue as to what a telescope actually was. Regardless, it might prove to be a good distraction. He pushed back his chair to give the girl on his lap some space to stand up, which she did rather quickly with her face still painted deep red. Briefly, he wondered whether that might pass as some war paint, although it would be questionable where it would help camouflage her, as well as her being on the frontlines. Sure, she could heal, but she had her limits. Also, she shouldn´t see the terrors of war at all in the first place.

He got up shortly after she did, and headed for the door without much fuss. The others followed suit once they´d put away the cards, and soon after, the group stood at the beach, just staring at the telescope. "I´ll go get you that steak." Said the Knight, attempting to break the ice, to which Instinct gave a short nod. This time, he tried to leave the burden of lifting the mood to the devils. Their relationship would _not_ be one-sided on his end. They should put in some work as well.

"Well, Instinct, how much do you know about astronomy?" Asked, surprisingly enough, the Queen. She´d been silent for most of the evening, so seeing her try and talk to him was rather odd. Oh well. He would roll with it. She kind of wanted to fuck the other guy that owned this body, better get on good terms with her.

"About as much as you do about subtle flirting."

"Oh my, how rude!" She said playfully whilst hitting him on the arm with a smile. Although that slap had some hefty weight behind it. Or just a fuck-ton of magic. Probably both. "That´s not how you talk to a lady!"

"Heh. Trust me, I´ve got enough experience with women. I know what I´m doing." Everyone gawked. "What? I´m old, remember? Old enough to have seen the red bastard in all his glory. Of course you haven´t seen me in action. Back in the day, I approached tons of girls, and yes, I did get laid, believe it or not. Hell, there were tons of guys jealous over me having the balls to approach in the first place, so they tried to fight me. Their mistake." Everyone gulped at the implications. "Don´t worry, I only snapped one or two of their bones." There was a collective sigh of relief at his words before he continued.

"That reminds me, it was usually my musical numbers in the bar that got the girls interested in the first place. Want to hear me play? I recall a harp in the room with the painting utensils." He was handed the keys, since Rias was rather curious to hear this man, who, in all honesty, was rather brutish and unrefined (perhaps the best way to describe it politely would be that he lacks a verbal filter), play an instrument, and far more intriguingly, the perhaps most elegant and delicate one of them all, a harp. He was about to head upstairs, when he noticed that the Queen was waiting on him at the bottom of said stairs. They walked up together in silence, till they split in the living room. But not before the girl asked him for something. _"Tell Tatsuo I´m sorry and that I miss him."_ It was but a whisper, perhaps just the wind, but even if it was, Instinct would do it regardless once he could reach the guy again.

Soon, he´d found the room and the instrument he was looking for, and headed back. The girl was not waiting for him, perhaps she was on the top floor with the kitten. He could take a guess as to why. She was blaming herself for Tatsuo´s meltdown, not that it was wrong, but it wasn´t the only factor. There was no way that he would tell anyone about the situation in his head though; if they found out that him and Tatsuo were basically fighting death, they would lose it. No telling what might happen. He wondered what his brother would say.

" _You should´ve trained for this kind of situation!"_

Sounds about right. Instinct was all about improvisation, and his brother hated that. If you were not prepared for something, it was your own fault, that´s what his opinion would´ve been. At this point, he´d gotten back to the devils, two of whom were now excitedly looking through the telescope (the astronomical knowledge that the princess and Knight had were probably helping with that) at the various planets, asking whether that was really Uranus, as they didn´t know that the blue ball also had rings. Instinct had not the foggiest notion of what they were talking about, to him the sky was just a bunch of white (and occasionally blue and red) dots, he had no names attached to them. He did remember a few constellations, though. He asked to look through the telescope too, and the two younger devils moved. Ignoring the arse-for-a-hand-boy´s stare, which only showed discomfort at being around him, he put his eye on the spot where they did.

Hm. That was odd. They just told him that it was pointing at Uranus, a blue planet, but this looked…not blue. In fact, it was rather white. He lifted his eye, gave it a rub, then looked through the glass again. No, now it was blue. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he spotted the white glow again. Turning the contraption, he centred it right on that white glow. He asked the Knight as to what that could be. The answer was either a comet, an asteroid (whatever the fuck the second one was), or one of Uranus´ moons. No moon moved that fast. After demanding a zoom, he spent another minute searching for that white glow. Five minutes passed without any results, making him give up. He picked up the harp, and asked them what kind of song they wanted to hear. Melancholic, cheery, romantic, he could do ´em all. Since it was Asia´s birthday, she was allowed to pick, and so they settled for happy.

Instinct strung the harp leisurely at first, trying to get a feel for it. Eventually, he began refining his movements and sang in a deep, beautiful voice, in a language that no one here could understand. It was a jolly song, one that raised the spirits, and whilst no one understood the lyrics, it was understandable just from the notes alone that this was a song about the beauty of friendship itself. In the meantime, Issei walked back to the telescope, wanting to avoid the man who not only had good reason to murder him, but also made a move on Asia, to which she didn´t even complain. So much for his hopes. He should just give up on girls completely, he thought to himself. Harem King? What a joke. He placed his eye on the glass, and instantly pulled back, blinking.

Did he just imagine that? He immediately looked again, trying to figure out whether or not he was going insane. A good while later, when the song had ended, Rias came over to him and asked what he was doing. His answer was a jumbled mess of words as she startled him out of his frantic search, which made her giggle before she told him that it was just about time for bed. Sighing, he nodded, leaving the telescope to head upstairs. That night, it took way too long for him to fall asleep, as the idea of a whistling purple rabbit in space kept him awake for hours.

 **Well then. Looks like Il lucky Bastardo is beginning to actually develop his character. Shame it´ll be gone soon when he dies to plot. Anyways, do leave a review telling me how awesome I am if you enjoyed this, and if you didn´t, leave one in which you detail just how big of a stinking shit my writing is. I´ll try to update more frequently from now on, but for now, I´ll be taking a nap. Bye!**


	43. Chapter 43

**When I said that updates would be more frequent, I meant it. Let it be known that congresscrab keeps his word!**

 **Goldenclaw: Heheheheh. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!  
Excuse me. Just needed to get out my laughter at the fact that you still believe that I´m not a sadistic fuck toward these characters. Also, yes, many a thing in this story is stereotyped, as you noted correctly; there are only so many innovations I can bring, I´m just a novice. However, it´s not about the stereotypes, it´s about how you use ´em! Also, I like to hear that you enjoyed the fluff. The fact that it felt natural to you is rather interesting, because it felt natural to write on my end – perhaps there is a correlation between the two. Also, that little bomb doesn´t come up much today; it´s mostly set up for future chapters, and creating a bit more drama for the next chapter. Do hope you enjoy it though.**

 **Hercules8: Of course I´ll continue it. Just who the hell do you think I am? After all, I spent enough time on this fic that 43 chapters were birthed from my efforts. Granted, they´re mostly shite, but still, I won´t stop now. I do hope you enjoy the rest of the ride though (or perhaps you´ve already caught up by the time this goes up, in which case, hope you did enjoy it up till now)!**

Instinct awoke to a hand being placed on his shoulder. He knew the touch, so he turned toward his owner, and whilst he was rather pissed at being woken up so early in the morning when not even a lick of sunlight was on the horizon, he kept it to himself, asking what was wrong instead. Her answer? She needed to go to the bathroom. "Cool. Good night." He replied, flopping over on the bed. However, she shook him again, and he looked at her once more. The phone in her hand provided just enough light for him to make out her embarrassed expression (which was presumably red), and he put two and two together. "Want me to come with you, or what?" A nod made him sigh. "Fine." Standing up, he held open the door for her before leading the way to the toilet.

"Is there a reason as to why you need me to sit outside the bathroom while you take a piss?" He inquired, and all the answer he got was her grabbing his arm, shaking. It dawned on him just why it took so long for her and the other three to join the party yesterday. "Someone told you a ghost story yesterday, didn´t they?" There was a nod. He grumbled. Fantastic. Of course the sadistic Queen would do that. "Why me, though? Why not any of your friends?" The answer he got was very quiet, probably to not alert the monster (which didn´t exist, let´s be honest), but the words he heard blew him away.

"I don´t want them to get hurt…"

Holy. Fucking. Shit. He now fully understood just why Tatsuo was so protective of her. Such a beautiful soul.

"Um, Mister Instinct? Are you cry-"

"Shush, dear. Mister Instinct will fend off the monsters for you. Let´s go."

At some point during their little trip through the mansion, he did ask her just what the ghost story actually was about. Turns out, it was about some witch that had murdered children for their blood in order to rejuvenate herself, however, she was eventually caught and burned at the stake. Obviously, she set a curse upon the world before she kicked the bucket, as these stories go, which included her killing you violently if you chanted her name a few times in front of a mirror. He didn´t openly scoff at it, as the girl was shaken (and shaking) at the story, so he simply took to listening and reassuring her that everything would be all right.

Once they reached the bathroom, he told her he´d wait right outside in case anything happened, so she should just relax and do her thing. She still looked rather scared, though, and it seemed as if she was too shy to say it out loud. He pat her head as he told her that he could come in too and stare at the wall. She looked grateful as he held open the door once again. The second he entered, he turned toward the mirror and crossed his arms behind his back. Eventually, he heard the trickling, and simply waited. Once she was done with her business, he stepped aside to let her wash her hands, and upon her finishing that, he came up with the idea to rid her of this unnecessary fear completely. "Hey, listen. I know you´re scared, but let me just try it out, alright?" And immediately after her shock, she nearly screamed at him to not do it as she held him by the collar of his jacket. Turning toward the mirror, he spoke.

"Bloody Mary."

She trembled as the realization that he wouldn´t listen began to set in.

"Bloody Mary."

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the massacre that was about to happen.

"Bloody Mary."

Silence.

"Hello pretty boy." Said an unfamiliar female voice. Asia´s eyes opened wide, and they darted toward the mirror. Leaning out of it like a window was a woman that looked to be in her early thirties, with a small, seductive smile on her face directed at Instinct, who stared back with a surprised look. "What? You called, I answered."

"Looks like I was wrong, kiddo. That story was true. Shoulda told me though that the ghost was this beautiful." He said in as charming a voice as he could muster, and apparently, Bloody Mary was pleased.

"It´s been a while since I met such a charmer." She answered, twirling her blonde hair around as she leaned out a bit further, bringing her face closer to Instinct´s, who stood his ground. He could make out that she was not clothed, meaning that if she were to come out just a tiny bit more from that mirror, her breasts would be exposed. And from the small amount that he could see, those were melon-sized. He was looking forward to it already. "Come closer…" She whispered, and he obliged, moving his head forward, only to teasingly pull it back once she leaned in for the kiss.

"Ahh, sorry, but I barely know you." He said in an overdramatic fashion as he knew that would rile up the ghost. "Besides, are you even corporeal?" After he added that, the woman extended a hand, which was placed on his cheek. Cold, yes, but very much touchable. Removing it from his cheek, he placed a light kiss on the hand. It made the woman giggle as she pulled it away, before beckoning him in for a second attempt on the mouth. She closed her eyes and puckered her red lips. Instinct grinned to himself as he placed one of his hands on the cold, yet soft and flawless skin of her cheek, and leaned forward as well.

It was at that point that water was thrown into his face. As he blinked from the unexpected interruption, it felt like a veil was washed from his eyes, and he nearly screamed out loud at the sight. Gone was the beautiful woman from moments ago, replaced by a horrid creature that could only be described as monstrous. It´s beautiful skin was ripped open in many places, the cleavage was non-existent, as the flesh itself was gone, allowing sight on the ribcage; the mirror itself had turned red from the blood of this creature, which was overflowing from it and into the sink below. Its face was now a horrid, transfigured skull with its bottom jaw tagged on loosely, the tongue extended way beyond where it should. Instinct did not know how to react, as this development was still too stunning for him to process however, when it lunged at him, exposing its intestines to him, a sudden pull saved him from being grabbed.

His eyes darted behind him, where his owner had fallen over, as using all her weight when she barely had any physical training didn´t allow for her to keep her balance very well. His brain finally caught up to the situation, and, using his limited resources, he tried his very best to conjure a magical blade into existence. Suffice to say, it didn´t work. Fuck. That would´ve really helped to mitigate the destruction the fight would cause. So instead, he opted for his only other option other than hand-to-hand combat, lifted up his hand and pointed at the monster. It realized just in time that a magical blast was headed its way, allowing her to duck back into the mirror before it shattered.

"Quick, let´s go!" He yelled, as he still felt its presence nearby. He grabbed the girl and slung her over his shoulder, before slamming open the door, dashing out, and instantly slamming it shut again. Before he had any kind of reprieve, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Glancing behind him, there was a bloodied hand trying to pull him into what seemed to be a picture frame. With lightning-fast reflexes, he let go of the girl just in time before it pulled him closer, smashing him into the shelf, which would have crushed her head. The small time it took him to recover was enough for it to toss him a bit further down the hallway, right beneath a window. He regained his wits fast enough to dodge the attempted grab that followed, and roll out of its reach. As the hand hit the floor where he was just lying a moment ago, he took the opportunity to swipe at it with his legs, successfully, as it fell out of the mirror and onto the floor.

Suddenly, it began to cry out loud, seemingly from pain, writhing on the floor. Instinct went to kill it, but was stopped by a green glow. His eyes found his owner, who had crawled over, and was healing this monstrosity, whispering calming reassurances to it. He must have caught something in his eye again. Such a beautiful soul. Though he still had a finger pointing at it, just to be sure. Eventually, it became obvious that no matter how much she exerted herself, the wounds of Mary would not heal, though her cries ceased. "Why…why would you help me…?" It asked. Its tone was scared, helpless. The girl simply shushed it and took its head into her lap, stroking what was presumably its hair, fattened by blood. Her clothes got stained red, but she seemed not to care. Instinct sat down, and lowered his finger. This creature no longer posed a threat.

"You…are devils, aren´t you?" It asked after a while, to which his owner nodded whilst he shook his head. He quickly clarified that he was not part of the peerage, before delving into his own questions.

"What´s your deal, anyways?"

"I-I used to be a human, just like you…one day, I was reborn as a devil, a Queen…my King always treated me like I was part of his family, he called me his Queen…I thought he meant it in a literal sense, not a romantic one…" Instinct could tell where this was going, and signalled for the girl to plug her ears. This would not be pretty. She didn´t.

"One day, I fell in love with one of the Knights...my King was deeply hurt…and he forced me to bear his children…" He tried again, this time slightly more desperate. She should not be listening to this. A pure soul like hers should not come into contact with these dark subjects. Once more, however, he was ignored in favour of consoling the lost soul in her lap.

"Then, when I went into labour, I was kidnapped…they wanted to ransom both me and my children, b-but I managed to escape…my children, however...m-my children…" Mary broke out in sobs as it became obvious that her offspring had died, probably before they were even born.

"I had a miscarriage…my beautiful twins…" Instinct had given up on changing his owner´s mind, and instead began to quell his rage with the therapeutic imagery that was before him, of one bright soul helping another find the light.

"I almost died in my flight…to survive, I had to…eat them…my beautiful children…" Seeing her suffer specifically at that made Instinct nearly reach forward, however, he wouldn´t interrupt Mary, not yet at least. He had his own two cents on her deed.

"My King despaired when he found out…he thought I d-did it to spite him…so he cursed me with this image…I cannot die…if I s-so much as touch the light that I deprived my children of…I will burn…so I used my powers…to enter the world of mirrors…" Instinct assumed that it was a pocket dimension of sorts, because he had never heard of a ´mirror world´ before.

"He told me…that the only way to break the curse…would be a man´s kiss…of true love…as he killed the man I loved in front of me…" The idea of hunting down the devil responsible, castrating, gutting, and then tossing him into a pit filled with worms looked rather good by this point. He moved over a bit to the window, opened it silently, and imagined that the guy was standing on the beach. The small explosion on the sand did wonders to contain his rage.

"Then…one day…I felt a beckon to this world…it was a young boy, just barely ten years old…he fainted the moment he laid eyes on me…I did not linger…and created an illusion in the mirror world…every t-time I was beckoned…I would try and kiss them if they w-were a man…but…they were scared once I couldn´t keep up the illusion any longer…and tried to hurt me…" His desire to jump up and tell the woman it was alright was overwhelming, but he left it to the expert, for now anyways. It was rude to interrupt a lady, in any situation. He used that mantra to keep himself under control.

"Bloody Mary…that´s the name they gave me…my name is not even Mary…" She seemed to almost giggle at that last part, though he probably imagined it. He looked up at his owner, who still, despite all that, had a smile on her face.

"It´s alright. I forgive you."

The sobs subsided, and the silence became almost rejuvenating as all those years of darkness and horror that this woman had experienced were washed away with those simple words.

" _Thank you."_

It was but a gust of wind, one might think. Instinct finally spoke up.

"What´s your name?"

"…Liz…"

"Liz, tell me, do you wish to die?"

No hesitation. "Yes…"

He put his hand on her head, and began to absorb her curse, and by extension, her last bond to this world. She began to moan as the dark magic was dispelled, relieving her of a burden that had plagued her for far too long. Her legs started to turn to ash as Instinct spoke his mind.

"I think your children didn´t mind. You are their mother after all. As someone that failed to protect their mother, I would give up my life, my soul, whatever it would take to give her her life back. Even if she has to eat me alive. I will endure it." What he said relieved her even more, and at some point, when her body was almost entirely dust, he could make out that face once more, in the moonlight, the one he´d seen in the mirror.

"It is rude…to not give your name…before the lady…"

"Instinct." She seemed to laugh.

"What…a weird…name…"

"Who would do this to a beauty such as you, Liz? What was his name?"

As the last remnants of Liz´s existence were reduced to ash, he briefly put his lips on hers, to provide the best comfort he could before she died. The name she spoke was engraved into his mind. The floor was covered in dust, and he made sure none of it left the house by closing the window. Finally, he turned to the girl, who sat there, finally able to cry.

"Why…why would He let this happen…?" She whispered, seemingly too occupied with emotional pain to even care about the physical one that speaking God´s name wrought. Instinct held out a hand, and once she took it, pulled her up.

"The world is not a nice place. Shit like this is probably far more common than you think." He told her, making her all the more depressed as she tried to step out the general area where Liz died. "You can try to make it better, but it probably won´t help." Now, she nearly fell to her knees as she realized that no matter how much she sacrificed, there was no way that it meant anything. There was too much Bad in this world. However, Instinct still held her hand, preventing her fall.

"However, better to try and fail than to cry about it in a corner. After all, God created this as the best possible world for us; there has to be some Good hidden in it somewhere. And you, little Asia, are doing a great job of being that Good." He added, pulling her back up on her feet. "Hold on to that Good, okay?" For a minute, Asia thought to have misheard. Instinct, the man that ruthlessly tried to murder Issei-san, had not only become friendlier toward her and her friends, but was now giving her talks like this? Eventually, as the meaning of his uplifting words began to settle in together with a warm feeling in her chest, she smiled.

"Yes, Mister Instinct!"

"Drop the Mister, little Asia. Now go get some sleep. I´ll deal with her ashes." He ended their conversation by putting a hand on her back and pushing her toward the direction they came from.

"Okay. Good night!" She replied cheerfully, which he reciprocated, before she left his sight around a corner. Sighing, he then tried to remember if there was an urn somewhere in this house he could use. Though the devils probably wouldn´t condone their porcelain being used for a random ghost´s ashes, now that he thought about it. If he recalled correctly, however, there was some clay in the room he got the harp from. He began to appreciate that room more and more the longer he stayed here. It took him about half an hour to mould the clay into an appropriate shape, and another to harden it in the kiln that was thankfully also readily available. This room had it all.

Once he was done with his dabbling in the art of pottery, he headed back to Liz´s remains, and scooped them up with his bare hands. It appeared that the urn was just large enough to house the dust. However, because Instinct was using nothing but his hands, he couldn´t possibly gather all the tiny specks that lay on the ground. Looks like he would have to utilise something that was so outlandish, so terribly impractical that he had no clue how to use it, no matter how much it was explained to him.

Technology.

Specifically, a vacuum cleaner. He knew where it was, he saw one of the devils opening a cupboard in the kitchen earlier that contained all the tools to maintain a household. It was quickly brought over, but now began the real challenge. He stared at the machine, hoping it would somehow be able to suck up the dust on its own. When it became increasingly clear that it wasn´t sentient and would not do anything without his input, he tried to remember how the ads showed its usage. Grabbing the pipe, he pulled it off. Or tried to, at least. With some effort, he tore it off, only to realize that while it was still connected to the container, the pipe had been placed in a holster of sorts, which he had now broken. Good thing that it appeared to still be able to do its job. Hopefully. Recalling that this symbol stood for turning things on (he laughed internally about all the men that cursed the fact that women had no such button (he could think of one in this house)), he pressed the button.

Unlike his laptop, which was the only piece of tech he could really handle, as it had actual, clear input – as in, you point at the symbol labelled with what you wanted, then used proper language to do whatever you needed to do – in his eyes, at least, this one did not turn on when he pressed the button. He pressed it again, this time harder. Nope. No noise like in the ads. He really wished Tatsuo were conscious. It would help figuring this shit out. However, perhaps the confused guy standing behind him could help.

"Hey, boy. Think you can help me get this thing working?"

Startled, the owner of the Boosted Gear realized that Instinct had known about his presence from the very beginning (i.e. three seconds ago). It was rather unexpected to have the man who wanted to kill him casually sitting in the hallway leading to the toilet in the middle of the night, wanting help in turning on a vacuum cleaner, of all things. Issei was rather glad to be the one that was asked, actually, as he stopped to think about it. At least now he wouldn´t get abruptly woken up by the noise. The trade-off? He needed to be around his future murderer, and current hope-crusher.

Him so easily getting into that close proximity with Asia stung a lot, especially since she put up no real resistance. But Issei was powerless, even with the Boosted Gear, which had been silent for quite a while now. He wondered if Ddraig had just gotten bored with him and decided to wait until he inevitably died to Instinct before finding a better host. Who would blame him, really? So he obliged, and squatted down, immediately seeing the problem. And it was honestly laughable. It was the first place you´d look.

"You need to plug it in." He said, pointing to the part in question.

"I need to what now?"

…was this a joke?

"Um, the plug? You know? This thing?" He pulled at the part, revealing the cable it was attached to.

"Oh, that thing. Yeah, I think I know where that goes." Instinct replied, taking the plug from him. As Issei was about to leave, the man stabbed the plug into the wall.

"What are you doing?!"

"I´m putting this plug in the wall, where it belongs."

"You need to put it in an outlet, not the actual wall!"

"The fuck is that?"

Once the teen showed him just what it was that he was searching for, Instinct had a small "Aha!" moment as he pressed the button again, and the machine whirred to life. As he collected the rest of Liz´s remains (which Issei just now noticed), he spoke a word that the Pawn honestly never would have expected to hear from his killer.

"Thanks."

"You´re welcome." He gave the only reply he could muster, choking it out as his discomfort around the man multiplied by tenfold. This was just so wrong. The man who was making moves on Asia, the girl that he had sworn to make happy, was thanking him for his help. It almost felt like ridicule, after all, no one was so out of touch as to not understand how plugs work. His hands balled up into fists before he headed to the bathroom, leaving the sound of the vacuum cleaner behind. Instinct took note of the tension that was present in the way the boy carried himself, and briefly wondered if the devil was ticked off because he put pressure on him earlier. Whilst emptying the container into the urn, put the lid on said urn, he thought of how to resolve this. Best way would be to get the two kids into a relationship, that would solve this problem permanently. As he made his way back to his room, he had a small epiphany. He placed the urn in a place where it wouldn´t fall over, then went and brought back the vacuum cleaner, before going to bed and enabling the alarm on his laptop – he needed to get up early in the morning for this. Before he falling asleep, he engraved a single name in his mind.

 **Ralph.**

The next day, when Issei woke up, first of all, he yawned loudly before turning off the alarm. He got up from his rather comfortable bed, and opened the curtains, seeing as his roommate was already gone. Huh. Looks like Kiba didn´t wait for the alarm to get up then. Hold on. He didn´t recall ever setting the alarm. Why was there an alarm clock in here in the first place? This was supposed to be their vacation! Intent on finding out, he put on his clothes, he left the room, but was halted in his quest to uncovering the mystery of the alarm as the smell that was in the air entered his nostrils. It reminded him of an absolutely fantastic dish that his father used to cook when he was younger. He darted toward the kitchen, looking forward to a delicious breakfast. Of course, that was all forgotten when he saw Instinct sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, waiting for him.

"Good morning, boy. Have a seat."

 **So. The two finally shall have their serious talk. Wonder what´ll happen. Will Instinct murder Issei? Will he say "Fuck it" and steal Asia away?! Will he, in fact, do both?! Or will he…?! No fucking clue. I just come up with this crap as I write it, I have as little of an solid grasp as to what will happen as you do. Regardless, do leave a review, as it tends to speed up the process of me opening Word and beginning to type quite a bit. Also, it´s just nice to have some feedback. With that, I´m off. Bye!**


	44. Chapter 44

**This is it, my friends. This, unfortunately, will be the last chapter for now. The reasons are as follows: in my eyes, this story has reached the halfway point. This is the opening chapter to said other half. So expect loads of new crap that these guys´ll have to deal with in that half. Even if I do tie up one loose end. And on the other hand, I´ve been neglecting the readers of my other crossover for far too long. For six months, in fact. It´s high time I give them some more content.**

 **Now then, before we get into the reviews, I´m sure you´ve noticed. That bar on the right is really dang short. Well, let me tell you why. You dastardly fiends have done it. You actually did it. 30000 views. Meaning I busted my bloody fingers in typing these 12000 words, as promised. I should probably wrap this story up quickly, otherwise you guys might actually kill me!**

… **that was not a joke. My hands are bleeding. Regardless of my minor PTSD towards keyboards, let´s get to the reviews, so you can finally get to read this chapter.**

 **Goldenclaw: I think it´s best that I be honest. That whole Bloody Mary thing was something I made up on a whim, and originally, it was never supposed to happen. It was to be an anecdote after Instinct proved her to not exist, but then I realized that she would be an excellent way to set up an encounter I have planned for later in the story.**

 **So yeah, I did sacrifice the overall feel of the chapter for that specific setup. The added character development is just an added bonus, especially with what I´ll follow it up with in this chapter. So look forward to that, my friend!**

 **That was all of ´em, so without further ado, here we go! A chapter for the ages! Because literal blood, sweat, and tears went into this one. And forced me to buy another keyboard. Ignoring my justified suffering for keeping you waiting so long, let´s get to it already!**

Issei gulped, before doing as he was told, albeit hesitantly. He had nothing but bad feelings about this, as he took a guess as to what the circumstances were. This was probably the point where Instinct just decides to kill him because Tatsuo is out of the picture. To be honest, it might be better like this. He had no right to deny him his revenge, and besides, it´s not like he was of any use to anyone here. Better to let the Prez have her Evil Pieces back than having him waste their potential. A plate was pushed in front of him. It smelled good. Really good.

"Go on, eat. I and the others already had breakfast."

Hm. At least he got a last supper. He almost felt like Jesus, if Jesus were a useless, dirty-minded teenager (and a devil). Only thing missing, really, were the followers/friends. On second thought, scratch that. Them showing up was too much to ask. He already failed his oath toward Asia after just one day – the best way to make up for it is cause her as little pain as possible when he kicks the bucket. He heard some slurping, followed by the cup being set down.

"Had a bad night? You look like you just found out your dog died."

Hm. He was about to be murdered, and now all of a sudden, Instinct cared about how he felt? Weirdo. The least he could do was get this over with already. Briefly glancing up, the boy noted that the man had a rather confused look on his face. Well, judging from yesterday, he wasn´t the sharpest tool in the shed, so this should have been expected. Taking a bite from the bacon in his plate, the boy savoured the taste, knowing it would be the last thing he´d ever eat. His tongue lit up in joy as he bit down on the crispy treat. It was just how his father used to make it. His eyes must have reflected that.

"Hm, my cooking seems to have brought the dog back to life. Perhaps I should cook more often."

Wait. Instinct cooked _this_? This extraordinarily delicious (might just be nostalgia, honestly) breakfast he was eating? Just how nice could you be to the person you wanted to kill just before you pulled the trigger? Damn it, this only made him feel worse about the whole thing. It had to be to torment him, there was no other possibility. Grumbling, he took another bite, and whilst his bad feeling persisted inside his head, on the outside, there was no sign of it. The reminiscing this dish made him do reminded him of better times, and those times were the days he longed for, where everything was still in order. No devils, no angels, and most importantly of all, no school.

"Just enjoy your breakfast, I´ll go ahead and explain why I´m the one serving it and not little Asia or the princess."

"I know, I know. Just let me enjoy my last supper."

Silence. Followed by a surprising question.

"The fuck are you on about?"

The teen´s eyes shot upward to meet Instinct´s. What was going on? It almost seemed like he was offended at the implications of his statement. After hearing what followed, that became only more obvious, as Instinct asked whether he thought that he was going to kill him, to which he mustered up a hesitant stutter of a response.

"I-isn´t it obvious? You want to kill me, r-right?"

"No, er, well, yes. But I made a promise to Tatsuo, and I am a man of my word. Why the hell would you think otherwise?"

"W-well, you and Tatsuo –"

"Him and I not being two halves of one whole does not change anything. Unless he changes his mind, the promise still stands."

"If so, why did you…"

As he caught himself, he already knew it was too late. A raised eyebrow, followed by the demand for him to finish that sentence, signalled a very unpleasant period of time that was to follow. Instinct put a finger to his chin as he began to think.

"Let´s see, then. What did I do to make you think that you´d be croaking soon? Was it telling the little kitten that her ears were showing? Nah, hasn´t got anything to do with you. Hmmm…"

Issei almost forgot about Koneko. He had no idea where she had been since the Prez carried her back up to the mansion, but he should be safe in assuming her to be in her room. Hoping she was alright, he also hoped that Tatsuo returned quickly. It would do wonders for her. He´d seen it firsthand. When he was around, she was like a completely different person. She looked happy. Tatsuo had managed to keep that oath that he didn´t even make, unlike Issei, effortlessly.

"How about beating you in that round of Poker over and over? Come on, why would I kill you because of me winning? You can do better, Instinct. Besides, unless you were cheating to win, only to crush his hopes, then…"

Yeah, he was thinking aloud just to mock him at this point. But Issei knew he had hit the mark when he stopped briefly and began grinning after that last sentence.

"Methinks someone´s a little jealous that I had a cutie on my lap."

That may be true. Well, it was, but it still stung, especially coming from this guy. He didn´t understand the devil´s feelings at all, yet he was acting so high and mighty. Grumbling, Issei had another bite as he tried his best to hide his embarrassment at the man´s teasing, who himself had not expected that this was actually what the boy´s thought process was. Becoming more intimate with a girl just to torture the guy who´s got a crush on her? He would never do that. Sure, he might rip someone´s toenails off and rip them a new arsehole with ´em. But…

"Just so you know, if there is anything my mother taught me, it´s that you should never toy with a lady´s feelings. So you can bet your sorry ass that I won´t – if I wanted to torture you emotionally before killing you, I would actually just kill your dog."

This seemed to startle the Pawn, as he seized up and slowly, relief began to settle in as he realized that a: he had no dog, and b: he still had a chance to keep his word. Obviously, the rather morbid attempt at humour Instinct made got him into a slightly nervous mood, as it usually did, but for now, Issei reciprocated the gesture of the night before.

"Thanks. I think."

He replied, before inquiring just what Instinct wanted to talk about in that case, if it was not his impending doom.

"Oh, that's simple. I´m thinking we have a competition today. The winner gets to confess to little Asia."

And that made the boy spit out the food he was currently chewing, resulting in part of the floor being covered in slimy, golden meat that he would begrudgingly have to throw into the trash. Without pause to wipe his mouth, he instead focused on having an expected outrage, whilst Instinct grumbled in his head how he would make the boy clean that up later.

"B-but…! You just said that you wouldn´t toy with her!"

"Yeah. So? I am genuinely infatuated with her. She´s a beautiful soul. And I want to make sure it stays that way. And judging from how you´ve been acting ever since I had her on my lap, I think that you are not really okay with that. So, as a man, I am saying we have a good old-fashioned fight over it. You get to pick the kind of bout, of course, as I am the challenger."

Those words made the boy calm down, but not exactly in a good way, as he wiped the fat of his mouth with the towel, and suddenly, he felt something burn within him. He had felt this heat but once before, when he was just about completely exhausted, after Riser had knocked out Kiba in the Rating Game. This time however, he felt its flame in full force, and man, did it pump him up for the battle that was to follow. His face only showed his hostility, though, as he spoke up once more.

"…where did you find all that honour?"

"And where did you find that sass to talk to me like that?"

"Always had it within myself."

"And there is your answer."

"Touché. We will fight in my territory, then."

Grinning, Issei spoke the name of the single competition he knew he would dominate Instinct in.

" **Video games."**

He handed Instinct the controller, who at first held it the wrong way around, even though it was ergonomically designed for comfort. The devil knew that he had won this, easily, even as he explained the controls. The man couldn´t handle any kind of tech, much less something as demanding as a round of Road Fighter, which required incredibly precise input to pull off the higher level combos. Once they selected their characters and the stage being loaded up, with Issei picking the internet-rated " _Most skill-based Fighter_ " and Instinct picking the random option, the boy couldn´t help but grin. His fighter stood opposite to probably the most standard fighter in the game; it was so vanilla that it was boring play, in big part due to its lacklustre moveset. No options to juggle your opponent with long combinations that made it impossible for them to do anything, unlike the one Issei had picked.

The familiar jingle echoed through the living room, and Issei immediately began mashing the buttons on his controller, to the untrained eye (of which there were at least two sitting next to him on the couch) at least. In truth, every single press was timed just right to queue the move in timings where Instinct would exit his invincibility frames after being knocked down, or just before he fell to the ground, essentially turning his opponent into a muscular bag of meat to beat as he pleased. The round ended with Instinct basically just holding his controller loosely, as it didn´t make any difference if he pressed anything to begin with.

 _Flawless._

Said a robotic voice from the TV as the stage reloaded. The next and potential last round began as it did before, with a move that would immediately lead into death by eternal juggling. Interesting was how the wrong character fell over, though, and the wrong health bar depleted. Hm. His next offensive ended the same way, and it became increasingly obvious that Instinct was actually using the incredibly hard to time counter technique, as his eyes soon saw for themselves. How that was possible, the boy did not know, but as his fighter dropped and the round went to Instinct, he went to question the man.

"Oh, I´m just a fast learner. One hit, and I´m done. You´ll just keep on barraging me with attacks. So in turn, I won´t let you get a single hit in."

 _Flawless._

"Tch." Issei said to himself, focusing on the screen once more, fully intent on beating this cheesy strategy. Sure, it took incredibly precise timing to nail a counter, but to only use that move? That was so boring to fight. It´s like trying to kill something that self-heals with small, continuous damage. Bloody impossible. Obviously, Instinct caught the first hit he threw out in the next round, and hit him twice. His hands cramped up as he tried it again, however he accidentally hit the wrong button due to his tension, resulting in a different move than before, which caught his opponent off guard as a hit registered; however, he couldn´t follow up on it as he was not ready for his error to turn out so favourably.

It seemed that Instinct did not account for the fact that there were more than just a singular line of attacks that Issei had at his disposal; he just never used them, his friends and opponents at the arcade usually just gave up after the first round of eternal juggling and let him go ham in the second round. After all, perfecting that juggle was nigh impossible, and since he did, they knew for a fact that they could not compete against him. Unless they learned to counter. Like Instinct. This was an even playing field now, the Pawn realized. He could not use his instant win button combination since it was being countered, and since he couldn´t, he had to use parts of his fighters moveset that he hadn´t touched since he mastered that one combo. Just like his opponent, who had to now learn how to actually fight without relying on cheese. Granted, it was skill-based cheese, but it was cheese nonetheless.

Up, up, down down, left, right, left, right, kick, punch. His special attack missed. Damn.

It felt like an eternity as the two fighters traded blows, and their hands were getting sweaty, making it even more uncomfortable to continue, but they persisted nevertheless. Honestly, the fight was getting stupidly long, especially once they each had learned the other´s style, and began figuring out their next move twenty milliseconds in advance - their fingers glided over the controller to accommodate for the incoming attack or block, extending the fight even more as they could never get any actual momentum going in anyone´s favour; like a waltz, you put one foot out, the opposing party retracts theirs, you pull back, they push forward. Their health bars were not budging from their current spot, which, if they were to have the time to look, were rather close to being empty on both ends. When someone called their names from right behind them, however, they were forced to jolt up and turn around. There stood Rias, looking at them with a slightly confused expression, with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I wouldn´t have thought you two to be playing games together." She spoke, clearly referencing the fact that the man sitting next to her darl – servant was still intent on killing him. Yet, he was still alive, so there should be no need to worry, which Issei´s indignant outburst cemented even further.

"Games?! Prez, this isn´t just a game! This is a fight between men! Now stay out of it!"

With that, he turned around again, not realizing just how much the tension had gotten to him that he would yell at his beloved President. Even Instinct just stared at him for a moment with a slack jaw before chuckling himself, allowing the shocked Rias to snap out of it as he turned back to the screen.

"Well, I certainly like your fiery attitude. Now, where were we?"

"Right around the time where you lose. Look at your HP."

"Could say the same for you."

"Touché."

The buttons were pressed, and they continued their virtual waltz as if nothing had changed. In the meantime, the King could barely find it within herself to come to terms with Issei´s aggressive tone. It hurt to be treated like that. Sure, she now knew not to worry as there seemed to be some sort of truce between the two, but still, there was no need to shout at her.

…she recalled her brother telling her something of the sort, there was a certain time when no one should step between two men; that would be when they put their pride on the line, for whatever reason. It seemed that this was one of those situations. She did her best to forget about that stinging sensation, and focused instead on her joy of seeing her little Issei growing up. Didn´t exactly help with the pain though. She went back to the front door, and carried the bags inside. Instinct had woken them up early and told them that he had cooked breakfast for them, but the fridge and freezer were empty, so in return, they would go shopping and restock.

With "them" being herself, Asia, Akeno, and Kiba. Koneko had still been asleep, or pretended to be when she checked on her, so she made sure to buy her some fresh fish from the local market they passed. The Rook would surely want to eat her favourite dish after all that happened. Hoping that the status quo didn´t last too long, and that the out of commission teacher returned quickly, she entered the kitchen, where the others were already refilling the fridge. All that was left were the products that needed to be kept in the freezer, so they dealt with that. Until they heard an angry scream, and ran into the living room.

"How?! How could I screw that one up!?"

"Endurance, boy. And patience. You got far too greedy with those attacks in the end." Instinct laughed as his opponent collapsed to the floor, the words _Player 2 wins_ sounding from the TV. "Well, you fought well, but now I´ll collect my prize. Could everyone leave me and little Asia alone for a moment? I need to tell her something." Begrudgingly, Issei stood up, and walked to the door, pushing out the others with him, ignoring their protests/teasing/polite demands for him to stop. As he was about to shut the door, he stopped briefly, and seemed like he wanted to say something. "You put everything on the line, and lost. Deal with it, boy, and leave." The door was slammed shut in response.

"What does he mean by that?" Rias asked him once he entered the kitchen, where they had all gathered after being rudely pushed out by the Pawn, who now opened the fridge, and was lucky enough to find a few cans of his favourite drink (which Asia and Rias did not especially pick out for him, nope). After taking a long sip, he took a seat at the table. He didn´t respond for a good while, instead glancing at his unfinished plate of bacon. As the redhead sat down next to him to continue prodding, he got up and threw the rest of his breakfast in the trash bin, disposing of the grimy piece he´d spat out earlier while he was at it. "Issei? Are you listening?"

"Yeah." He said, sitting down once more, and shaking his can a bit and enjoying the sound of the liquid splashing around inside.

"Then tell me, what is it that you put on the line?" His expression fell even further.

"I don´t wanna talk about it."

"Why not?" She put a hand on his shoulder.

"It´s embarrassing." He said, and it was at this point that something occurred to him. Why he made that oath in the first place, why he was so pissed that Instinct would just pull her into his lap, and crestfallen when she didn´t resist, why he spent so much time on finding her a present, why he was so worried about her ever since he saw the lengths she´d go to just to help others, why he felt that flame when Instinct suggested that fight, why he just said that it was embarrassing to talk about; why he loved Asia. As this realization dawned on him, he stood up, ignoring Rias´ worried questions. He had no time to waste as he darted back to the living room, and slammed open the door.

"Asia!" He yelled, making her turn around, and he stopped once he saw her teared up expression. He ran over and put a hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears. "Don´t cry, Asia, I´m right here. I´m right here." He added, before enveloping her in a hug which she at first didn´t reciprocate.

"Oy, what are you doing here? I thought you were man enough to at least wait outside while I tell her what she needs to hear." Instinct interjected, causing Issei to look up at him with a frighteningly rage-filled expression.

"She needs to hear something which makes her cry? Fuck off. No, there is something far more pressing that she needs to know. That…that I-"

"Well? Spit it out. I haven´t got all day, you know? Right, little Asia?"

" _I love you."_

"Hm? Come again? I didn´t quite catch that."

"I love you, Asia!" He felt as if he was flying right now; completely unsure of what lied ahead, and yet, he felt absolutely great for coming out and saying what he did. Until Instinct sort of ruined it.

"There we go. Well then, I´ll leave you lovebirds alone. I´m starving." And with that, Instinct left the room with a satisfied expression, prompting Issei to demand to know just why he was so nonchalant about what he just did. Without turning around, Instinct said something that shattered the image the teen had of him. "Never said whose love I would confess, now did I? Besides, with those balls you´ve grown, I´ll give you the win. This time, anyways. _Wonder how it´ll go with the princess…_ " He whispered the last part to himself before chuckling. No way he´d pull this shit for her, or the future "Harem King"; they better be able to sort that stuff on their own, otherwise this whole harem business will never take off. Besides, a man should work towards realizing his dream mostly on his own.

However, as he walked out the door to come face to face with a rather depressed looking Rias that was leaning against the opposite wall, he briefly thought about taking that back, but eh. She was old enough to deal with this stuff on her own. "Come on, give ´em some peace. If you want a piece of him, try later." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder, and the fact that she let him lead her to the kitchen made him realize just how deeply this got to her. God damn it. He wondered how Tatsuo hadn´t gone insane from all the babysitting that these kids required. Oh wait. Maybe that´s why his impending doom made him keel over. Perhaps he needed some vacation from life itself. Hakuna matata, as his mother used to say.

As for the two lovebirds, those were still sharing their happy embrace, when the boy finally popped the question. "So…what´s your answer?" He asked rather unsure, as even though she seemed to not mind the contact (she seemed to welcome it, in fact (one could almost say that she _embraced_ it)), he had not yet received a proper answer to his confession. As we know, however, that worry was unwarranted, as she expectedly looked up at him with a smile and responded in kind.

"I love you too, Issei-san."

His eyes widened, and he briefly pondered going for it as his gaze drifted to her lips – if romantic movies (let´s just leave it at that) had thought him anything, then it was that this was the point to do it. For a second, he leaned in, before the sound of the TV shutting itself off made the hormones wear off, and the shyness that came with his age and inexperience kick back in, resulting in him backing off, loosening his embrace around the girl. He still wasn´t used to this kind of intimacy, even with the Prez sleeping next to him naked each night. Thinking of that may have been a mistake, as he then promptly realized that it would no longer be the case.

He almost cried out in despair as it dawned on him, but the situation made him reel it in, and instead made him think of the fact that Asia could actually take that spot in his life, now that they were an item. She was always doing it anyways, and now he finally had an excuse for his parentssssSHIT. They would kill him once they found out. Oh god – ouch – that would just blow. After all this, and his parents of all things might just screw him over.

" _Well"_ , he thought to himself, as a familiar heat spread through his body, _"they are just another obstacle that stands between me and Asia. I´ll deal with them when the time comes."_

" **Oho! Looks like someone finally woke up!"**

Issei jolted as his head rumbled from the familiar dragon´s voice.

" _Since when were you here?! You scared the crap outta me!"_

Almost sheepishly came the reply.

" **Oh. Sorry. We dragons tend to doze off for quite long periods of time. I should have told you about that."**

The girl was starting to catch on that her boyfriend was talking to someone else at the moment, as his posture was shifting quite a bit, mostly in reaction to the beast´s words, a bit could be attributed to that shyness though; or perversion, as it made her small breasts rub around on his chest.

" _Holy shit. First Instinct acts honourably and brings me and Asia together, and now the dragon apologizes! What next, will the Prez confess to me?!"_

The dragon became serious, before the first part registered, and it´s tone sounded surprised as it spoke once more.

" **You´re playing with fire – wait, what** **did he do?"**

Issei explained to Ddraig what had transpired a minute ago, whilst filling Asia in on what was happening right now.

"… **that´s unexpected. Never thought him to be a matchmaker. Well, congratulations regardless. Have fun with your girlfriend."**

Ddraig calling her that made Issei seize up involuntarily, remembering the last time someone was called his girlfriend. Suffice to say, he never quite lived down the shock of dying to her. He assumed that the same was true for Asia, although for her, it might´ve thankfully been less jarring, as Raynare was never pretending to be in love with her; the short glimpses of their relationship he´d seen made it look more as if the blonde was rather uneasy around the late Fallen Angel. The assumption that Raynare had been abusive toward Asia seemed likely, making him even more tense at the fact that he had not been strong enough to beat her in order to save Asia from death. Sure, she had been reborn as a devil, but as a devout Christian, that must´ve been devastating.

"Hey, Asia?"

"Yes, Issei-san?"

"I´m sorry for letting you die back then."

She adopted a confused expression at his words.

"You mean back when Raynare-san stole my Twilight Healing?"

He nodded, his eyes fixed to the floor.

"Why?"

"Well…how to put it…you are technically my second girlfriend, right? Just made me think back to my first. And the mistakes I made. Like letting you die. Now you can´t even stay faithful to your beliefs, all because I let you –"

"Issei-san."

The sudden force in her words made him stop his rambling, and he turned his gaze to face her. He looked to be surprised as he took note of her extremely determined expression she wore; he rarely, if ever saw her like this. Usually, she was timid, slightly quiet (except during those moments when she yelled that she didn´t want to lose to the president (in what competition, he had no clue)), and just generally, tried to keep the peace as much as possible by being as kind as possible. Now? She seemed to all but confront him with her emerald pupils, and he felt as if he was being backed into a corner.

"I don´t care what I am. Angel, pure or fallen, devil, human, all that doesn´t matter to me. The only thing I care about is being around you, Issei-san. So stop looking so guilty. I forgave you a long time ago."

He was unsure what it was, but something seemed to lift off him, as if a huge burden had just disappeared from his heart. It felt like everything would be alright as he smiled at her hardened expression.

"Okay. I will. But in return, you too must stop something."

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head sideways, looking quite confused.

"Stop calling me Issei-san already. I dropped the honorific a long time ago."

Now, she looked embarrassed as she scrambled to keep her face free from any red that may have sneaked onto it. As he laughed at her failing, she eventually began pouting, and asked him to stop. Suffice to say, he couldn´t, not with how cute she looked when she asked, which only made her more embarrassed, and from then on, it was honestly just spiralling out of control. Until, of course, Asia had enough and just let go of him, huffing as she left the room.

"Wow. I leave you two alone for three minutes and you´re already having the first argument. This´ll be a healthy relationship, I´m sure."

The boy turned to see Instinct blocking the exit through which Asia wanted to leave, who herself was startled at the man´s presence.

"Anyway, come on, little Asia. I think it´s about time you opened your presents."

She got over her shock quite quickly, and turned red once more.

"T-that isn´t necessary, you don´t need to give me any –"

He pat her shoulder in response.

"Nonsense! Everyone should receive gifts for their birthday! Come on, grab your boyfriend, and go to the beach!" Instinct replied jovially, before laughing at the fact that her stammering got even worse once he openly called Issei her boyfriend. Speaking of which, he was getting ever so slightly jealous at Instinct again, so casually making Asia blush. That was a privilege that was only to be his. It caused him to somehow find it within himself to walk up to Instinct, and put his arm around Asia´s torso, pulling her slightly closer to him against the fact that his brain was telling him not to, and told the man that they´d be down in just a moment, after they finished discussing something. A grin from Instinct was followed by another tease.

"Alright, but remember, use protection! Even I know that much!" Laughing at the fact that the devil´s confidence crumbled in an instant, he left. Now, after they had brought some distance between each other, there was an awkward silence. It was soon broken.

"Um…Issei-san?"

"Asia, the honorific."

"O-oh. Excuse me."

That did not help. She was even more embarrassed now. Yet, she held fast and continued.

"Is-"

Correction: tried to continue. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she made another attempt, this time successful.

"Issei."

And there went the effect of the fresh air. She was redder than ever. He tried to alleviate some of the pressure.

"You want to know what I wanted to discuss, right?"

She nodded.

"I would like that in this relationship, whatever happens along the way, put your happiness before mine."

She looked shocked at his statement.

"Y-you see, after you tried to heal that angel, I realized that you rarely smile because you´re happy. You are always happy for others, never for yourself – except that one time when we had a d –"

His fumbled reasoning was cut short once he realized that he almost called that a date. Was their outing back then really that? Did it even really matter, he wondered, now that they were actually in a relationship. Screw it. This was Asia. She would turn redder than the Prez´s hair, sure, but after calling it that once, she would´ve already gotten used to it.

"When we had our first date, back when you had that burger and we went to the arcade; that is the only time I ever saw you smile for yourself. Not because I was enjoying myself, or the owners of those places could afford their bills. But it was simple fun. That is something I want to give you every day from now on. As a man, I swear to that."

As expected, his sudden change in confidence was rather surprising for the small blonde; but at the same time, it made her so happy to hear him say it so openly. She smiled, and responded in kind.

"As a woman, Issei-san, I accept your oath. In kind, I swear to always make sure to make you happy, too."

"Asia."

His dark tone ripped her out of her joy, and made her incredibly insecure. What had she said wrong? He sounded so angry. Oh my Lord – ouch! – what had she done? Was her happiness going to end so soon? Lord – ouch! – give her a sign so she may rectify her wrongdoings!

"The honorific."

"…oops. Sorry, Issei."

She seemed a lot calmer and comfortable with having dropped the honorific already. As he thought.

"Also, didn´t I just say that you should put your happiness before mine?"

"I´m happy when you´re happy, Issei."

"…did you even listen to me before?"

"Yes."

"What did I say?"

"To be happy for myself, and to put my own happiness before yours."

"So? Show me the error you just made with your oath."

"I…shouldn´t try to make you happy?"

"Right."

"But…why not?"

"Because unlike you, I´ve experienced that happiness more than once, and want to experience your happiness; you know, the one where you are happy for someone else."

"Haven´t you ever felt it?"

"Not genuinely for someone I care deeply about, no."

She seemed to think about his words deeply for a moment as she closed her eyes and pouted cutely.

"Alright then, Issei. As a woman, I swear that from now on, I shall do my best to be happy, not for you, not for anyone else, but only for myself."

He nodded, satisfied with seeing this selfishness she was showing, and with a smile, he gestured toward the door.

"Let´s go, then. The others are waiting for the girl of the hour."

When they arrived, all eyes were on them, from Kiba, Akeno, Rias, and Instinct, they all stared at them as they came down the stairs together. Each of them had a wrapped package sitting in front of them. Some were bigger than others, but in the end, it didn´t matter to the blonde, whose eyes were shimmering with childlike giddiness, much to the contrary of what she´d said just a minute ago about the presents. Suffice to say, the others were also looking forward to handing her their gifts – even if one of them was masking her pain with that smile.

"Oh my. Looks like my two adorable Kohai finally got together." The Queen all but sung as she clapped her hands together with a happy expression, though her intentions were anything but simple congratulations. Being startled by the blunt statement, the two in question just stared at the ground with red faces, exactly what Akeno was aiming for with her teasing. "I guess that means you won´t be able to sleep with Issei-kun anymore, hm, Rias?" She continued, directly swinging the conversation to the person who wanted it the least, and addressing the topic that the three wanted to dodge at all costs. To avoid embarrassing herself, Rias immediately snapped out of her state of shock, and put on a fake bravado.

"Oh, that doesn´t really matter to me. I´ll just continue to do as I always have. After all, if they truly love each other, then Issei will restrain himself. Right, Issei?"

"R-right." The boy fumbled.

"Oh phooey. You´re no fun at all." Her best friend responded, frowning, though it was still just for show. "And here I thought you would jump out and confess too. You´re so boring, Rias."

"Hmph. You should really step up your game, Akeno. Your attempts to tease have gotten so –" As she then spied the worried expression on the Queen´s face, hidden from the younger devils due to the angle, it dawned on the King. That was _exactly_ what she should´ve done. What she had said instead destroyed any chance she had at dating her dear Pawn. There still might be a way to save it, though. She faked a cough, and once she ´cleared her throat´, she resumed differently. "W-well regardless, if he wants to become a ´Harem King´, then he should at least have the cool to handle a naked girl sleeping next to him."

There was silence, then followed by snickering.

"´Harem King´, eh? I kinda want to see that." It was Instinct. "You know, boy, you do have some massive potential. When we showed up, you were a useless kid who´s chances with women were about as slim as paper. Hell, even slimmer. Now, you can protect your self at the very least, and have gotten a girl. Just how far will you go, I wonder?" He sounded rather excited as he spoke, and after he briefly thought about something, he grinned, and pulled Issei closer to himself, whispering into his ear. "You know what? I want to see how far you can go. From now on, I´ll be your teacher."

"…aren´t you already?"

"Nah, that´s Tatsuo. Besides, even he doesn´t actually have a class with you, right? Anyways, I guess I didn´t exactly mean ´teacher´ in that way in the first place."

"…in what way did you mean it then?"

"I was thinking more of a ´I-scratch-your-back-so-scratch-mine-in-return´ kind of relationship."

"Okay, first of all, what could you possibly want me to tea –" Issei´s words got stuck in his throat as the man held up a phone. Tatsuo´s, to be exact. Sighing, the teen resumed his thoughts. "…you really suck with modern technology, don´t you?"

"No! I can use the laptop just fine! Because that makes sense in how it is built and needs input! But everything else is so complicated!" Everyone stared at Instinct, dumbfounded. Maybe he should not have shouted out loud, considering he wanted this conversation to be private.

"So you mean you can´t handle touchscreens?"

"Yes! It´s dumb!"

"Whatever. So, what would you teach me in return?"

Instinct grinned. "I´ll make you strong enough to hold your own against me."

Issei didn´t seem all that sure. "I dunno…"

The grin got wider. "As an added bonus, I´ll show you how to get laid."

Issei´s tone changed radically. "Tell me more."

"Anyways, ignoring that outburst, congratulations on your relationship, you two! Now then, since Issei already gave you his present, I think mine´s next." Rias spoke up rather loudly to remind the boy of his new girlfriend, who seized up as his master all but told him to get his act together. Maybe they had been a bit loud. That, or Rias had really damn good ears.

"Why?" Asked the Bishop, who was slightly confused at her King´s obviously strange tone; especially since she didn´t hear the conversation between the two men. However, the fact that the matter of the present grabbed her full attention was something Issei was deeply grateful about. A quick exchange of looks between him and Instinct that lasted but half a second, and the decision to continue this discussion when the rest of the group was occupied was made.

"Because I want it to be opened first." Was the answer as the redhead all but forced her gift into Asia´s arms with a jolly look in her eyes. "Happy birthday."

"O-oh. Thank you, Rias-san." Asia responded as she hesitantly removed the tape that kept the wrappings on the package, almost as if she didn´t want to damage them.

"You don´t have to be so careful. Just rip them off." Rias told her, at which her servant seized up, and apologized profusely. This caused a few raised eyebrows. "Why are you apologizing?" Twiddling her thumbs, the blonde stated that it was her first time doing this, so she was sorry for making a mistake like that.

"Asia, there is no right and wrong here. We just mean that there is no need to hold back." This caused the girl to stare at the wrappings intently. It was red and had a few small decorations adorning the package. It was quite neatly done, to be honest, far better than was necessary for a birthday gift between close friends. It was just as expected from the President of the Club; neat and tidy, with an air of noblesse.

Asia could no longer contain her all but childish excitement that she´d kept under control for a while now, and dug her nails right into the paper before tearing it off. The beautiful wrappings were completely shredded as she indulged herself, and eventually brought the gift itself to light. Well, that too was something to be expected from the fashion-freak that was Rias Gremory. It was a very pretty dress, indeed, but as Asia thanked her, she noted how she immediately wanted to move on to the next present; her letting loose felt much better than finding out about the nature of the gift.

As the bag they´d brought along was slowly filled with the shreds of paper and she thanked each and every one of her friends for the gifts, something became more and more apparent, especially when Instinct was the only one left that hadn´t handed her the package in his hands, which was by far the largest of them all. There was one too many. And it was when Asia realized the reason why that her mood took a significant dip.

"Um, what about Koneko-chan?" She asked, and the expressions around the table fell.

"Well, you see, she –" Rias tried to muster up an answer, but was cut off by Instinct, surprisingly.

"About that. Since I don´t have anything to give you, as this" he held up the package, "is from Tatsuo, I thought that instead, I´ll try and force him back out. Now, before you go ahead and lecture me on mental stability and all that crap, my opinion is that the best way for him to recover is by being among those he trusts. And to put it bluntly, there are exactly seven people that he would trust his life with. Five of them are sitting on this table, and I´m not one of them. One of the other two is upstairs, and the other one is even further up." Hearing that filled their hearts with warmth, particularly due to how confidently Instinct spoke, though they did take a short while before understanding that last part. However, he was not done. "Besides, it´ll help the kitten get back on track, and the man will be able to hand you the present he made himself. Sound good?" Instinct was rather satisfied to see nods from every person sitting here, even from those that were more thoughtful and cautious.

"However, promise me that Tatsuo won´t come to harm through this." Akeno, surprisingly, was the one to speak, with an almost desperate undertone in her voice. Instinct didn´t acknowledge it, as there was no way to guarantee that. He did, however, give a joking response to help her deal with the nervousness.

"As long as you don´t try to push yourself on him and give him a heart attack when he can´t find any books around here, I think he will be just fine." He said with a grin, before turning more serious. "By the way, you might want to be prepared to restrain him. He might go slightly insane when I just thrust him back into your arms." Before anyone could respond, he closed his eyes. For a moment, everything was silent.

Then, Tatsuo opened his eyes. He briefly looked around, seemingly looking for something, or someone. He then appeared to panic, as whatever he was looking for was not here. He saw the present labelled ´from Koneko´ on the table, and, glancing toward the mansion, noted the single window with closed shutters. Throwing the package in his arms into the sand, he stormed toward the stairs. They didn´t react quick enough to catch it, but that was the least of their worries as they watched him fumble his way up the stairs with barely coordinated hops, causing him to nearly come tumbling back down a few times, but in the end, once they yelled for his to stop, he´d already reached the top, and slammed open the door. They ran after him as quickly as they could, with Kiba being in the lead, obviously, who was the first to give chase and the fastest to boot. It wasn´t that hard for the rest to follow his footsteps to Koneko´s room, of which Kiba was just shutting the door when they caught up to him.

As they went to ask why he was doing that, he simply shook his head and put a finger on his lips as an answer, which was more than enough for them to understand. The two wanted to be left alone. Much to another´s dismay, who wanted to be together with her lover. However, knowing that he still held the same feelings as before gave Akeno some comfort as she turned away from the door. She couldn´t seem to move, however. In fact, there was a very strong force on her hand, pulling her back toward the room she was trying to walk away from, and before she knew it, the door slammed shut behind her, and she stood face to face with a distraught looking Tatsuo, whom she just barely managed to recognize; the only light in here came through the closed shutters, which was so little it may as well be pitch black, even if it was just an hour or so past noon.

She immediately answered him with a heartfelt hug that he all too readily reciprocated. It was then that she remembered where they were, and spun around, prepared to calm down her probably devastated junior. Surprisingly, though, Koneko was still asleep, and Tatsuo took her hand. He seemed to want to lead her over to the side of the bed, and she followed his lead with some hesitation. Did he really want to ruin their reunion by presenting this rather sensitive issue to his kitten? It looked that way, as he took a knee next to the bed, with his lover in tow, and she noted that the younger devil was not wearing her blindfold for some reason. Once she was sat next to him, he began gently shaking Koneko, causing the younger girl to softly whine in her sleep about not wanting to wake up if Tatsuo wasn´t there.

It nearly brought him to tears as he shook her again, this time successfully, as her eyes did open. At first, she asked who it was, but once he placed his hand on her cheek, she recognized his touch immediately; there was no way this wasn´t her Tatsuo. All but jumping up to meet his touch, she slung her arms around his neck, whispering his name, causing him to nod in approval that yes, it was indeed him as he took a seat on the side of the bed. She began repeating the action, as did he, and eventually, she stopped, all doubts about this man´s identity having perished. It was then, when Koneko heard the small movement the Queen made to get more comfortable, that her voice filled up with venom.

" _Who is there_?"

Gulping, Akeno responded with her name. She had never seen the Rook this angry.

" _What are you doing here, cow_?"

The Queen was lost for words as she couldn´t help but stare at her junior´s barely visible, yet still so very clear expression. It was twisted to an extent that it was no longer recognizable as Koneko Toujou – whoever this was, Akeno didn´t know her. Her answer was to tap Tatsuo on the back nervously. Perhaps it was best that he do it…right? He seemed to be too entranced in the hug to do anything, though. Or perhaps, he too was shocked to see this side of his lover. Nevertheless, it was up to her, then, to tell the kitten what she had to.

"Koneko. Could you do me a favour, and calm down? I have something to tell you, as does Tatsuo. It concerns all three of us."

The noise that followed her statement sounded almost like a hiss. Regardless, she had to continue. Even if she felt like running. This must be done for their relationships to work.

"I love him. And he feels the same for me."

The hiss subsided.

"We´ve already kissed."

It would´ve been better had she continued hissing, the air was getting rather unbearable. The urge to run for it grew, yet she stayed sat next to Tatsuo.

"I have accepted the fact that I´ll have to share him. Koneko, I would like to tell you that you´re free to be number one. I will happily take a backseat and wait for you two to reach a point in your relationship where you are both comfortable with sharing everything between each other – including your bodies."

It felt like the air itself was trying to slice her.

"I just want you to know that I too want to eventually have sex with him. No matter how long it takes, I want to love him as much as you do. And the only way to do that, I feel, is through sharing everything."

Silence.

" _Was that all?"_

Akeno gulped. That gut feeling telling her to run became more desperate by the second.

"Yes. That is all."

" _Good. Because I refuse to share him. Tatsuo is_ _ **mine**_ _."_

That was not the answer she was hoping for. Also, she barely saw it in the dark, but she swore that for a brief second, she saw the younger devil´s eyes flash golden, as they used to be before… _that_.

" _And if you want to love him so badly…"_

Something was placed on her chest. A hand, she thought, with there being five points of contact, but it was much too spiky. Nails. Looks like her gut was right.

" _Then I´ll just take your heart. Then you won´t be capable of loving anyone."_

Just as Akeno was about to die, if it was from the heart attack that those words caused or the Rook herself, something stopped the both of them. Sobbing. Their attention shifted to their lover, who hadn´t been paying attention to anything that was happening around him, and was just trying to find any kind of comfort in this hug. Seeing this, Koneko provided, by sitting on his leg and nuzzling her head on his shoulder, followed with purrs, to let him know that she was there.

The Queen, contrary to that, was still in shock from what the girl had told her, staring at the spot where those golden globes had been a moment earlier. The only thing that snapped her out of it was the fact that her lover still had a free arm extended toward her. She risked it, and sat on his other leg, kissing his cheek, and putting her arms around his torso. Ignoring the hisses to the best of her capability, she focused entirely on getting her dear Tatsuo through his mental crisis. Though she had no idea as to what caused it and how deeply it truly went, it didn´t matter to her.

In the meantime, on the beach, Asia was opening the last two presents. One of them was a box of chocolates, which made her smile as she remembered her white-haired (female) friend eat them a while ago, and when she had asked for a taste, the response was that maybe she would buy a whole box for Asia another time. And here it was. The next present, however, was something quite different.

It was a painting. A beautiful painting. There was no doubt about the identity of the artist behind it, as another one in this style had not been moved from the beach ever since he painted it the day before. The one she held in her hands was a very simple depiction of Asia herself, sitting on a bench in a park, wearing a nun´s outfit, a cross around her neck. In the background was the hill on which the church stood where she (literally) stumbled onto Tatsuo, but that wasn´t the focus. No, what was the greatest part of this image was how it so perfectly summarized the Occult Research Club. Issei was sat next to her, looking rather embarrassed, probably due to Rias giving him a lecture as she poked at his cheek causing Akeno, who stood with Koneko and Tatsuo behind them, to giggle; the teacher, however, had one of his arms around Koneko, and the other on the blonde´s head in his usual patting manner. All the while, Kiba had his arms crossed behind his back as he wore that usual smile, trying to ignore the crowd (mainly consisting of featureless females) in the background.

It brought Asia to tears, as all the good times she had once reborn were just perfectly captured in this single picture. She wiped away the fluid, and once Kiba stated that if they wanted, the telescope was still available, another person spoke up. Rias, to be exact.

"Actually, I think that something else is far more pressing." She held up a book, and upon seeing it, Issei yelled indignantly.

"You can´t! Prez, please, no!"

"Oh? Why?"

"Because those pictures are embarrassing!"

"So is walking around without having properly done your morning routine. And yet, you forced me to go to the train station without having put on any makeup or done my hair because of your lack of preparation. I think it´s fair I get some payback."

"B-but what about the baggage I had to carry for Koneko-chan?!"

"Training, Issei, training. Not punishment. Those two are totally different things. Actually, let´s just ask the others. Do you want to see these pictures?"

"Yes." Said Kiba.

"Traitor!" Answered the Pawn, but once the Knight answered, he regretted his choice of words.

"I am the enemy of all men, am I not?"

"Alright then, Asia, it´s up to you. Do you want to see these embarrassing pictures of your boyfriend?"

"Um, well…" She hesitated as she saw the puppy look in his face. She didn´t want to embarrass her boyfriend if possible.

"Just so you know, these are his childhood photos."

"Lemme see!"

Issei fell onto the sand, holding his heart.

"So this is what real betrayal feels like…"

"Ignore him. Instead, look at this Issei! He is so much cuter!" Rias caught Asia before she could pay him any heed whatsoever and regret her decision, and Kiba chimed in once he saw the picture too.

"Indeed. So you used to think that strawberries were wall décor, hm, Issei-san?"

"I hate you."

"Or that balloons were food?" Rias added.

"Urgh…"

"Or that girls like playing with actual swords?" Asia tried to continue the **chain of tease** , as Issei dubbed it in his head, but thankfully, she failed, as that picture didn´t exist.

"No idea what you´re talking about. The only person that has a sword in it has me and another boy in it."

Asia pouted, as she figured that he was right, and that she was the only one that hadn´t managed to tease him, even with the help of an album of childhood photos. However, once Rias yelled at Kiba to be careful, their attention was on him. He was staring at the picture Asia had described with incredible shock. Eventually, his expression hardened. Gone was that fake smile, replaced with all to genuine frown.

"So it was under my nose the whole time…"

"Sorry, what?"

"Hey, Issei-san. This person" he pointed at the other kid in the image,"where do they live?"

"Why?"

"Don´t ask. Just tell me."

"…he and his family moved out a long time ago."

"I see. And the Exca – the sword?" Kiba asked, though his cramped hands spoke volumes of the emotions he was trying to contain.

"As far as I know, they took it with them. No idea where they moved to."

Kiba was silent as he let the album fall into the sand, and walked away.

"Kiba, where are you going?" Rias asked him with an incredibly serious tone, making him stop to answer for just a moment.

"On a walk. Don´t expect me back till morning, if even then."

"…promise me that you´ll stay safe."

He gave no response as he marched off into the distance. After picking up the album, Issei proceeded to briefly dust it off before trying to run after the Knight – trying being the key word, as Rias held him back with one arm.

"Don´t."

"But why, Prez? Something is wrong with Kiba! We can´t just –"

"That´s an order."

Grumbling, Issei caved in. Whenever the President gave an order, he followed. After all, she was the King. Besides, it was the least he could do in return for being resurrected from the dead. As much as he wanted to throw away that duty right now to ask what was wrong with Kiba, he obliged, and sat back down. The mood was ruined once more. And it began to frustrate Rias more and more.

"Why does all of this have to happen now? First, Tatsuo hears something that makes him lose his mind, then we had to be constantly stressed by Instinct" She began to vent, albeit she added under her breath that at least, Instinct had finally made peace with them officially and had tried to better his relations with them, however "it doesn´t exactly help that Koneko was also put into a horrible state, and now to top it all off, we remind Kiba of his single touchy subject! This was supposed to be our vacation, dammit!"

As a result, the Pawn and his girlfriend tactfully tried to suppress their gasps at Rias´ outburst, however, they would never not be surprised at how intense the redhead was when she actually did curse. The keyword once more being tried. The noise was enough to shake their King out of her frustration, and she was quick to apologize for losing her cool. Silence settled as they began finishing the drinks that had been brought earlier. Three of the glasses were still full to some degree, and they took them back up, and with some difficulty, placed them inside the fridge.

"Holy -ouch- hell, Prez, just how much stuff did you buy?! The fridge should´ve exploded with all this inside!"

"Oh, you know, I thought it would be nice to have a salad for dinner today."

"Okay. So why is this here? We leave tomorrow, if I remember right." He held up a pack of burger patties.

"Oh, that´s an ingredient to a special salad my mother cooks from time to time."

"And this?" He pulled out a bottle of tobacco from behind twenty-ish jars of varying kinds of food.

"Ditto."

"…don´t tell me all of these things are for that one salad."

"Of course."

"…even the maple syrup?"

"Yep."

"With all due respect Prez, I think you should reconsider cooking that salad."

"And I think you should consider having seconds later."

Once they were done with that discussion, Rias playfully suggested that they make that salad together, and with nothing else to do, Issei, as a gentleman, refused to "help create a monster". Rias sighed, and called someone else.

"Asia, would you mind helping me make a salad for dinner? After all, there is nothing else to do."

"Sure, Rias-san."

Internally, as his King gave him a teasing look, Issei despaired. He would never tolerate that Asia witness the creation of this terror. But he really didn´t want to, either. A dilemma for the ages.

"Wait. I´ll help. How about you watch some TV, Asia? Give yourself a rest."

"B-but Issei, I want to help…"

"Remember our promise?"

After a "Aha!"-moment was visible on her face, the blonde nodded, and headed to the living room.

"Dropped the honorifics, hm?"

God -ouch- that tease hit him where it hurt, as his face went red.

"A-anyway, let´s get this over with, Prez."

Cheerfully, Rias replied with "Sure!", though if Issei had looked past that fake smile, he would´ve been able to hear that "Prez…huh?" coming from her heart. After an hour or two, they were about halfway done, and once they checked the clock, they realized that it was time for lunch. They prepared a few sandwiches, and brought them into the living room, where Asia was happily watching a TV show that, presumably, was meant for kids - judging from the happy and carefree tune that played in the background, anyways. Once Issei tapped her shoulder to tell her of the sandwiches, she seized up, and it was at that point that he realized that she´d being happily humming along to the song herself.

Curious, he asked her what the show was called. Red in the face, as usual, she said that it was a show about the Big Dango Family. He recalled having heard that name before; it used to be a line of plushies that was being sold, and they made a show about them to help advertise. The company that produced them, however, went out of business a year back or so. It must be the anniversary of their initial shipment or something if they were running the show again. Then again, what did he care. Once he voiced the fact that they were no longer in stores, Asia seemed a bit down, but that changed when he said that it was probably for the best.

" _You better not insult the Big Dango Family, Issei…"_

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"Um, no! Let´s eat!" Asia was quick to change the subject, and once she stood up, he shrugged, and decided to put on the news channel whilst they were eating. Couldn´t hurt to catch up with the world every once in a while, now could it? He tossed the remote back onto the couch, and joined the girls at the table, where Rias was asking Asia what she´d been watching, though she got only an embarrassed stammer as a response. Once her boyfriend sat down, he asked what was going on, and when Asia could barely muster a response due to her embarrassment, he quickly put the pieces together. He briefly pondered what to do. Join in the fun? Or help his girlfriend out of this situation?

Considering that the first option would likely backfire in some way (it was an odd gut feeling he had), he decided to switch topics, and as he did, he acknowledged her relieved sigh by briefly touching her hand beneath the table, out of Rias´ sight. This only caused her to lose the last bit of her composure, judging from her seizing up and shaking like that. Realizing that this was probably a bit too fast a step, he raised his hand above the table, and, holding the sandwich with both hands, he continued on with the conversation as if nothing was wrong. If Asia was acting like this, then even someone as dumb as him could tell that she needed some time before they could hold hands. Besides, he did swear it, as did she, right? Her happiness first, then his.

Obviously, it surprised him in that instance when he saw her stare at the sandwich she was holding, nay, her hands, and then ever so often glance over to his. He held up his own sandwich, asking whether she wanted a bite, but she shook her head. She sneakily (in her mind only) lowered one of her hands under the table, and held it out toward him. She couldn´t, could she? A nod. Did she really mean it? The way she was acting earlier…no, nevermind. Her eyes told him everything. Flabbergasted, he, too, lowered his hand sneakily (in his mind only), and, with slight hesitation, took her hand. Once he did, the softness of it made his brain melt ever so slightly.

The first time he could touch a girl´s skin…it felt wonderful. Man, he always wondered why the characters in manga and anime were so shy about it, but he understood now. This felt so great. This must have been reflected in their faces, as Rias began to giggle.

"Hey, lovebirds. Would you kindly stop ignoring me?"

"O-oh. Sorry, Prez."

Her face fell after that. Before he had time to think of it, he heard the jingle of the news playing, followed by an announcer yelling out "Breaking news!" Curious, he turned around to look at the TV, as did the other two, and began listening to the report. As it turned out, there was a rather interesting event happening, and anyone that had a telescope was urged to take a look at an area in the sky just around the moon; there was an asteroid that had been discovered just a few weeks ago that was going to collide with a planet in just a few minutes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime-event. The three devils exchanged looks, and immediately darted toward the beach where the telescope still stood, and once they were there, it became even more hectic, as Rias was the only one who knew how to properly adjust the damn thing, but she wasn´t all too sure with handling it herself.

"Where was it again?!"

"I dunno! She said somewhere around the moon!"

"Be more specific, Issei!"

"Just aim it at that red light!"

After Rias looked up to check what he was talking about, and found this odd red light, she quickly angled the telescope, changed the zoom to get a very close look indeed (being a Gremory was rather useful in procuring a telescope with extremely high resolution and zoom (probably was enchanted, to be completely honest)) and took a look.

"…"

"And?!"

"…that´s not an asteroid."

"Excuse me?"

"Take a look." She answered, seemingly in shock, as she let him look through. Once he laid eyes on the supposed ´asteroid´, his jaw dropped.

"…is that a fucking UFO?"

He knew she had nodded, even without looking. There was a massive ball of metal hovering above the planet in question, and from it, many small lights were descending, causing huge explosions once they touched the surface of the planet. Asia wanted to desperately see it too after hearing his vulgar, yet still very justified question, so he let her have a look, and once she did, she, too, was speechless. Up until she made another discovery, anyways.

"Um, why is Tatsuo-san coming out of it?"

"Say what?!"

He was once more staring through the glass, and sure enough, that was Tatsuo´s face on the person that was currently blasting through the take-off ramp (?) of the UFO, in that weird armour he had with him when he first arrived. The pawn knew it very well indeed, because he was the poor soul that had to carry it out of the church – for training purposes, of course – so it could be warped away (apparently, churches block their warp magic (that, or Koneko lied)). Regardless, the second he saw that person fly toward the planet, he realized something.

"There is more than one. Those rays of light…they are all Tatsuos."

"May I?"

"Sure, Prez. I´ll be right back. I need to tell Tatsuo."

"Wait!"

She stopped him forcefully by shoving him to the ground. His face hit the hot sand, and he screamed as it burned him. Rias was quick to apologize and help him back up, and yet, she still held onto his shoulder.

"We shouldn´t tell him."

"B-but why, Prez?!"

"Yes, Rias-san? Why?" Asia chimed in, and the King sighed.

"You two…you don´t understand, do you?"

"Understand what?"  
"Understand what?"

Rias giggled at that, and the two were briefly red in the face, but their curiosity overwhelmed any lingering embarrassment quickly.

"That planet must be where Tatsuo originally came from."

Gasps from the two younger devils, followed by synchronized stuttering, that if it were coherent, would sound close to "So you mean that-?!"

"Correct. If I recall, Tatsuo was rather adamant about going back to protect whoever lived on there. Now, my dear servants, I think you should be able to figure out why telling him of this, in his current state, would be incredibly…stupid. For the lack of a better word."

There were no words needed in order to confirm that yes, they understood why giving Tatsuo another thing to add to the pile of shit that was his current state was a terrible idea, especially after what info they could gleam from his behaviour earlier about his psyche. He was desperate. The only thing that was keeping him sane, from what they could tell, were those closest to him.

"Fine. But Prez, one day, we should tell him." Asia nodded, silently affirming his demand, yet still with a determined expression.

"Yes. For now, though, we should bring the telescope back to the attic."

"All right." The two answered, though after what the King said next, one of them began sweating buckets.

"Excellent! Now then, Issei, if you wouldn´t mind?"

"Um, w-what, Prez?"

"Well, you can´t expect us delicate ladies to carry this up all those stairs, now can you? What kind of man would do that to his girlfriend?"

"W-well…hold on, Prez, you´re not my girlfriend."

"In Hell, we have a saying: ´A man who treats a lady badly should reconsider having a girlfriend.´"

"I´m 100% sure you just made that up."

"And yet, you should probably take it to heart all the same, now shouldn´t you, Issei?"

"I…" His next sentence was cut short once he spied Asia in his peripherals, trying to lift the telescope, all by herself. _"Bloody hell."_ He walked over to her, and, with a **BOOST** , he heaved it onto his shoulder. "Asia, remember our promise."

"B-but Issei…you might hurt yourself…can´t I help you? Just a bit?"

" _Fuck it."_ He thought to himself as he remembered the one method to make Asia worry less. "It´s for training purposes." She remained silent after that, apparently thinking it over for a while, before she nodded with a smile.

"Okay. If you say so, Issei."

He grinned back, and was about to take the first step up the stairs, but unfortunately for him, he seemed to have forgotten the fact that the Boosted Gear´s effects lasted for exactly ten seconds before he became but a teenage boy again. Granted, a slightly ripped teenage boy, but a teenage boy nonetheless. Following the loss of his **BOOST** , said teenage boy quickly realized that telescopes were heavy. Really heavy.

"Are you sure that you don´t need my help?"

Great, she was worrying again. Probably because he stumbled so much. Putting on a fake smile, he explained that training needed to push him to his limits. He was fine.

"Okay."

Huh. That was easy. Well then, back to business. Heavy business. It took nearly ten minutes of excruciatingly hard work to carry the damn thing up to the door, and it was at that point that he realized that perhaps, just maybe, he should´ve reapplied the **BOOST** again while he was on the stairs.

"Damn you hindsight!" He yelled, before collapsing to his knees, panting heavily. Using the Boosted Gear now would do nothing anyways. His strength was tantamount to that of a snail right now, having exhausted himself this thoroughly. Doubling it would do jack shit. Now, he wondered, how would he get it to the attic? The stairs on the inside of the mansion were too small to accommodate both him and the telescope.

"Issei!" He heard Rias yell, and upon looking up, something hard smacked him in the face. After his brief period of painful screaming, he noted that the thing that hit him was a rung of a ladder. A wooden rung of a rope ladder, to be exact. She couldn´t be serious. "And before you ask, I am serious about this!" Dammit.

"Are you insane?!"

"No, but I am a fantastic and beautiful coach!"

Issei quickly realized that this discussion would go nowhere, as usual. She always won these arguments without breaking a sweat. Well, she was the President after all. Heaving up the telescope, he carefully set the first step onto the ladder. It wobbled a bit, but seemed to be stable. Quickly realizing that he would need to turn in order to keep the telescope from hitting the façade of the mansion, he adjusted his posture for that, and scaled the ladder with but a single hand. He reached the top after a good two minutes, though it felt like thirty times that, and he handed the stupid thing over to Rias, who was waiting to receive it. Albeit her expression was one of shock as she looked at what he gave her.

"Issei? Why is the telescope still whole?"

"Wha*cough*what are y-you talking about? I carried the d-damn thing a*cough*all the way up here, j-just how you wanted. What´s the i*cough*issue?"

"…Issei. Could you look at me for a second?"

"Sure, P-prez, what is it?" He froze. "You can take that fucking piece of shit apart?!"

"Y-yes. Don´t tell me you carried it all the way up here without knowing that?"

"It speaks for itself, now doesn´t it?!"

"Yeah, but…you used the Boosted Gear, right? Right, Issei?"

"Nope! Forgot at the start of the stairs, and wouldn´t have made a difference if I did at the bottom of that ladder!"

"Issei! You might´ve hurt yourself! Stay here, I´ll get Asia!"

"Wait." His voice was suddenly completely free of his outrage from seconds before. "Don´t."

"B-but why? You might seriously be injured!"

"So what? I told Asia I would be fine. And she trusted me. I don´t want to immediately betray that trust on the first day of our relationship."

"Issei…"

"So don´t worry. I´ll be fine! All for the sake of training, right?" His mood had done a complete 180. Rias was completely shocked at the way he changed once she mentioned Asia. It tore her up. Yet, she smiled.

"Alright. But I will still treat your injuries."

"Um, Prez?"

"You know how I did it the first time we met, right?"

"Prez?" He sounded slightly scared.

"Just the usual naked-beauty-in-your-bed-treatment should do the trick. Nurse Rias shall take the job!"

Later on, at night, whilst Issei was trying to recover from the worst salad he´d ever had to cook and eat, he would be woken by an indignant scream. Suffice to say, Rias was the cause of this rather familiar scenario.

"I won´t lose to you, Rias-san!"

The ´poor´ Pawn sighed to himself as a second naked girl hopped into his bed and snuggled up to his side. _"Glad to see some things never change."_

 **Well, that´s it for their vacation ´arc´, and this story. For now. I´ll be back, you can bet your ass on that. However, as I said earlier, my focus will now go back to my other crossover which I´ve neglected for too long. I hope you guys understand. Anyways, allow me to now give the usual silly commentary.**

 **Ooooooooh. It appears that dumb little Issei has made the first step toward getting laid! Will it help that he has a girlfriend now? Or will it do nothing to stop him from mentally abusing the dragon in his hand every morning? Who knows! God knows that I don´t. Maybe he does. I´ll ask him.**

 **OI! GOD! DO YOU KNOW?!**

… **okay. He doesn´t. So much for omniscience. Regardless of the potential of a "GOD EXPOSED O-O" video, I´ll go ahead and end it here. Bye!**


End file.
